[andy popp]

Academics - is it normal to not give any feedback?  My better half works at Glasgow uni and had this discussion today with some lecturers who said "of course there should be feedback recorded with the grade". Should I push the get this feedback?

No, it is not normal. There should always be some written feedback with the grade. In reality, written feedback is rarely that useful and I am always prepared to give much more detailed oral feedback if a student asks for it. The supervisor should have given you feedback himself - of course the course director can't do this effectively, she didn't supervise you and may well not have read the work (almost certainly hasn't I would say).

Student surveys regularly show that quality of feedback is one of the biggest areas of complaint (that said the whole thing can be frustrating, now that marks are generally available online many many marked assignments are never physically collected by students and the thus the feedback we've given never read).

I'd also add that with marks of 71 and 72 I'd have awarded it 72.

But it sounds as though you have still achieved a distinction - congratulations!

[tomtom]

Final marks finally in.  Pre-thesis I was sitting on ~79% average (>70% is distinction at Strathclyde).

I was rather surprised and a little disappointed to only get 71% for my Thesis. To me, that says I've handed in inferior work to everything else I've done this year, especially since my average for individual coursework was 84%...

I asked my supervisor for feedback on what could have been improved. Radio silence. In fact, he actually slopey-shouldered it and got the course director to speak to me.  She had no useful feedback, other than trying to pacify me  saying "really, 71% is very good, you should be happy".  I don't understand academics who don't get that some students want to excel, not just get a distinction, but smash it in!

Both the markers gave similar scores, 71 and 72, so I can only conclude that it has been graded correctly - so where did it go wrong? I clearly totally missed something important.

Academics - is it normal to not give any feedback?  My better half works at Glasgow uni and had this discussion today with some lecturers who said "of course there should be feedback recorded with the grade". Should I push the get this feedback?

Like Andy said this is bullshit. You should get written feedback - and if requested oral feedback too.

I'd be tempted to book a meeting with supervisor and get them to go through the mark(s) with you. It should (IMHO and certainly at our institution) also be double blind marked - so there should be two mark sheets/sets of comments.

[SA Chris]

Possibly not what you wanted, but sounds pretty good to me.

Shame you have the crushing reality of finding a job now?

[andy popp]

I don't understand academics who don't get that some students want to excel, not just get a distinction, but smash it in!

I just wanted to respond to this as well. I don't get it either. Its an absolute delight to work with those students who really want to do well, and are curious, thoughtful, and responsive. "Even" in research intensive institutions it should be a big part of what being an academic is about.

[bigironhorse]

I was rather surprised and a little disappointed to only get 71% for my Thesis. To me, that says I've handed in inferior work to everything else I've done this year, especially since my average for individual coursework was 84%...

I asked my supervisor for feedback on what could have been improved. Radio silence. In fact, he actually slopey-shouldered it and got the course director to speak to me.  She had no useful feedback, other than trying to pacify me  saying "really, 71% is very good, you should be happy".  I don't understand academics who don't get that some students want to excel, not just get a distinction, but smash it in!

Both the markers gave similar scores, 71 and 72, so I can only conclude that it has been graded correctly - so where did it go wrong? I clearly totally missed something important.

Academics - is it normal to not give any feedback?  My better half works at Glasgow uni and had this discussion today with some lecturers who said "of course there should be feedback recorded with the grade". Should I push the get this feedback?

I have had a very similar experience having just completed an MSc at Sheffield. I was averaging around 76% before but was only graded 61% for my thesis. I felt this was grossly unfair as it was easily the best work I produced during the course. The feedback I received on a 13500 word thesis could have been written on the back of a fag packet, loads of spelling and grammar errors and they had even spelled some gene names wrong in such a way that it was obvious they were not familiar with the topic. Still managed a distinction and got a PhD in the end though.

[slackline]

The feedback I received on a 13500 word thesis could have been written on the back of a fag packet, loads of spelling and grammar errors and they had even spelled some gene names wrong in such a way that it was obvious they were not familiar with the topic. Still managed a distinction and got a PhD in the end though.

Thats not surprising, in our department there is a dearth of staff employed to teach and mark.  Dissertations get doled out to research staff across the department based on pay-grade, not their area of expertise, and they then have to take time out of doing their funded work to do the marking effectively the University gets free marking (and teaching) out of researchers who are 100% funded to do research despite the students paying fees.

Last year I had to supervise and second mark a distance learner who opted to do a "narrative dissertation" aligning drug regulation policy in emerging BRICS markets which I know fuck all about.  At least this year I didn't have to supervise anything and the dissertation I had to mark was a pilot study which I have more familiarity with so I could comment (and did in detail) on the design, execution, statistical analysis, results and interpretation, although the topic itself, electrostimulation of the brain in patients with spinal injuries, was something I knew fuck all about.

[sxrxg]

Having a beer tonight as it was confirmed that I got 72% for my dissertation. Graduating with a distinction, very very pleased with this as it has been hard work doing a degree part time (and buying and doing up my first home, having my first child, and starting a new job).

[dunnyg]

Id call that smashing it. Congratulations!

[Fultonius]

Nice one sxrxg. I know I must sound like a bit of a dick whinging about my grade!  Hats-off doing it part time, I found it stressful enough with no other commitments!!

[sxrxg]

Nice one sxrxg. I know I must sound like a bit of a dick whinging about my grade!  Hats-off doing it part time, I found it stressful enough with no other commitments!!

Congratulations to you as well. It is nice to hear someone who really cares and puts the effort in. Most of my course is part time students under pressure at work that after the first couple of modules just want to get finished and get the qualification.