Thursday 23 December 2010

A student who has let us all down.

I feel deeply let down by this student and his attitude to work, and our response to him. He attended the first class, and the last two classes of the year(part), did not hand in his assignment despite the fact that the hand-in date had been delayed. He raised Mitigating Circumstances after the assignment was marked at '0' and now has an extension on the hand-in until January 10th. I feel that this is not fair to the other students on this unit. I feel so strongly about this that I would like to get someone else to mark it as I do not think that I can mark it in the same spirit that I marked the others. I think that allowing mitigating circumstances under such situations does not reflect well on my university.

We are all experienced in handling the excuses that students give. One excuse is acceptable, but when a person makes many excuses for the same thing, they are lying/ dissembling/ playing us for a fool. Every time that I have spoken with him I have been given a different variation on the story. Doesn't he realize this, or does he think that we are stupid.

I feel that even though this student's parents phone in and support him, they are not giving him the right support to make sure that he attends and get the degree that he could obtain. They are making excuses to support his non-attendance.

He thinks he is a big cheese, but I know that he is performing the same stunts in his other units, and letting down his partners there. It won't do any good in the long run, as he now has extensions on hand-ins until January, when he also has an exam to prepare for.

A last effect is that he will never get a good reference from anybody who has taught him. All he will ever get is the minimum that we can give. Many references that I do ask about attendance, performance in class, how well he gets on with others, and truthfulness. I can't give a positive answer to any of these.