Sometimes in university you’ll be
stuck in an award situation with someone who has a higher authority than you.
That is a very awkward situation and knowing what to do can be next to
impossible. I’ve run through some scenarios below that will hopefully help you
out of your next tight spot!
1.
You get a
bad grade
Of course this will happen to
every university student at some point and the important thing is how you
handle it.
The first step should always be to
take some time out. This can be a very emotional result for someone, especially
if you worked really hard on the project. Try to give yourself some time to
process the result and calm down. It is always best to be well rested and level
headed when you consider a bad grade. If you can invite over someone supportive
to help you with the next step.
The second step is to evaluate
yourself. Self evaluation is critical to ensuring that the mistake won’t
occur again. Overall this step can be very difficult but if you’ve followed
through with the planning methods and tracking your progress it may be easy to
see if there was a lapse in your preparation. Another important thing is to get
ahold of the markers scheme and rubric and run through the project to see what
errors you have missed.
The markers feedback can be a
great tool for understanding and interpreting the rubric. Some examiners will
point out where you went wrong – and the best ones will supply tips for where
you can improve. Don’t be worried about how they think about you, this is a
highly automated task and rarely will the examiner have applied any kind
individualistic application.
Some critical questions to ask
yourself are;
-
Was this explained in the course?
-
Is this information readily available?
-
Is this a subjective opinion?
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| Planning is essential to surviving a busy period at work |
It is important to consider
whether or not the criticism is subjective because if it is that the marker has
interpreted an answer or argument the wrong way you may be able to initiate a
remark process that would allow you to negotiate for a better result.
However, don’t use this process as
a reason to get a remark, that should never be a goal. Always assume that the
grade is a fair indication of the work and move forward from there.
The third step is to run through
the document and highlight the points where you went wrong. List them out
clearly with paragraph or question number references and either rewrite them
correctly or write out the question that you would like to ask about them.
Some good questions to ask
conveners about a marker’s determination include;
è
Source A suggested this, was there another more
valid source that disagreed?
è
Was it the application of the information that
was incorrect or was the basis of the argument wrong?
è
How would you improve this answer?
I would strongly advise that you
do the majority of planning before you go in to interview with an academic
professor or teacher. This is because it is easily to become overwhelmed when
teachers begin discussing things with you – especially when they relate to things
like your personal grades. The more organized you are the easier it will be to
set the boundaries and expectations of the discussion.
Other ways that you can make sure
you remain professional and level headed throughout the interview is to bring
in a general guide of the things that you want to say.
The best way to do this is to
create a simple list flow chart with off shoots;
Example:
Page one issues;
è
Para 4, grammar point – how much did this
reduce?
è
Para 9 – The readings agreed with marker but
recent research supported argument (Which valid?)
Page two;
è
Spelling is correct Australia – USA marking?
è
Why is the diagram wrong? (markers guide not
available)
If you run through this it is easy
for you to avoid feeling upset about your mark and instead make sure that you
get the best possible feedback. After all, it’s very difficult for anyone to
help you if you can’t tell them how to help!
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| Printable available online |
To
help with the general value of the meeting you can download this printable from
fee by following the link, here. This printable will allow you to work with
the pace of the speaker – son long as you write in relevant phrases and not
everything that they say. The download is not a pdf so you and type it into
your laptop for those who struggle to write quickly. But try to fill in the
extra questions along the side as this assist your analysis.
If you get through this stage and
you still feel that you haven’t had an appropriate redress you can feel very
upset, but don’t be perturbed! There is still more that can be done. Check out
your student union and ask them about the mark evaluation policy. Take the
feedback sheet, your questions and the original assignment with the feedback with
it. Ask them if you can have someone else to assess the paper and perhaps help
you to understand it. These officers are generally very experienced and will be
able to help guide you through the process.
Best of luck – and remember that
your grades don’t reflect on you!
Lulu Hensman
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