The Universities Marking and Assessment Boycott started on 20 April 2023, and media coverage is starting to ramp up. We’re starting to see the impact in students not receiving degrees. Many of those who are receiving degrees, will find that these are not based on full sets of marks. In other cases, non-qualified individuals have marked the work and given ‘interesting’ feedback.
Knowing that not everyone is able to keep up, I’ll be blogging a media roundup — key interventions and Edinburgh-focussed coverage. Feel free to send me more contributions, or corrections!
13 July 2023
The Telegraph reports the Wednesday LLC graduations: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/07/12/university-of-edinburgh-students-striking-staff-graduation/ https://archive.ph/wBVK4
The Scotsman reports the Tuesday ECA graduations: https://www.scotsman.com/education/edinburgh-university-marking-boycott-students-chant-pay-your-workers-in-protest-at-graduation-ceremony-4216941 and the call from MSPs for an urgent solution: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/edinburgh-university-urged-to-take-swift-action-as-students-graduate-without-results-amid-marking-boycott-4217278. https://archive.is/P7r5R
The Times covers University of Aberdeen breaking data protection legislation: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aberdeen-university-broke-data-rules-with-colour-coded-strikers-chart-56rjg0ptd https://archive.is/bDTZc
12 July 2023
International students intending to continue their studies told to return home because of incomplete degrees: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-66163344
LLC graduation protests covered by the BBC on Reporting Scotland https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001nrwz/reporting-scotland-evening-news-12072023
2 July 2023
Media attention on Edinburgh moving towards the impact on international post-graduates: https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23622891.anger-overseas-students-paying-25k-strike-hit-uni/ https://archive.ph/CvcbV
29 June 2023
The Herald covered staff and students concerns about quality assurance — both for students getting ‘classified’ degrees and those without: https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23615534.university-edinburgh-staff-raise-standards-equality-fears/ https://archive.ph/YqQvJ alongside an opinion piece: https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/viewpoint/23620160.lecturers-villains-exam-marking-boycott–/
27 June 2023
The BBC covers the 3 day Stirling University strike here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-66020409
26 June 2023
This joint statement from York UCU and VC Charlie Jeffery calling for employers and trade unions, to get back to meaningful negotiations on pay and conditionswas widely welcomed.
25 June 2023
The Times warns “Marking boycott could trigger protests at ‘sham’ graduations” Seemingly missing that protests have already happened in Glasgow? But a good piece, raising the issue of ‘predicted’ grades (anyone who’s been to an exam board knows that students generally hit above their peak marks in the final semester) and the elephant in the room: “when will this work be marked?”. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/c6224f3e-1205-11ee-9673-09365d127a9f?shareToken=c22cd2a7491f83450bf4e8f3c0002c1c
The Observer also runs with a more student-focussed than ‘newsy’ angle talking to students https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/jun/24/uk-students-without-graded-degree-graduating-covid-strikes-boycott (online on the 24th,in print on the 25th)
24 June 2023
After radio silence that left many academics puzzled, the Guardian/Observer group finally covered the MAB. First, a more newsy story: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/jun/24/uk-final-year-students-university-undergraduates-results-grades-delay Followed later that day by a more student focussed piece https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/jun/24/were-collateral-damage-marking-strikes-hit-students-graduate-careers
UCU getting a nice clear message out to the BBC: “Marking boycott impact downplayed by universities, union claims” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-65997786. (although I’ve argued that they’re not measuring impact very well!)
23 June 2023
On Friday, Jade Taylor (International Relations, Edinburgh), spoke to Nick Robinson on the BBC R4 Today programme. You can listen to her via this tweet:
22 June 2023
Alex Davis, a Modern Languages student shared his experience in the Metro.
Many students vented their frustration, anger and heartbreak in this piece published by the Wolves of Westminster:
21 June 2023
In a widely circulated story, the BBC reports that students are planning protests at Edinburgh graduations “why would we want to shake [Peter Mathiesson’s] hand?” asks one: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65965908
This was also covered by the Scotsman: https://www.scotsman.com/education/scottish-university-students-plan-graduation-ceremony-protests-and-boycotts-as-anger-grows-over-unclassified-degrees-4190073
For the first time, the Principal of Edinburgh University admits the scale of the markung boycott. Listen on BBC sounds at 1h 53 mins https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001n025 or play the clip below:
Also on the 21st [although technically published on the 29th], we got a long read from Fraser Macdonald reflecting on marking, academic standards and the long term imact of administration responses to this.
20 June 2023
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23599944.confusion-questions-graduations-begin-scottish-universities/. (ungated https://archive.ph/dsDj6)
19 June 2023
https://www.scotsman.com/education/scottish-university-final-year-students-will-not-receive-degree-classifications-in-devastating-outcome-4188697
(ungated https://archive.ph/o27Hd)
15-16 June 2023
Coverage of the strike at Edinburgh to coincide with the 16 September open day from many outlets https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23591318.edinburgh-university-staff-take-strike-action/ ungated: https://archive.ph/j6Amn https://www.scotsman.com/education/strikes-scotland-action-begins-at-edinburgh-university-amid-staff-anger-at-pay-penalty-4184757 ungated https://archive.ph/OxMqj
6 June 2023
In a particularly surreal episode, VP Colm Harmon launched a video for students, which invited stduents to reach out, but then deleted their comments.
Watch for yourself here https://media.ed.ac.uk/media/1_hqj7qdv4. Reported by the Times here:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/university-silences-student-criticism-in-assessment-boycott-row-fc6d26pdv. https://archive.ph/yfa7B
and the tab here: https://thetab.com/uk/edinburgh/2023/06/02/edinburgh-university-urges-students-to-reach-out-with-marking-boycott-worries-then-deletes-comments-83969
4 June 2023
As University administrators try to ‘mitigate’ the effects of strikes (ie water down standards), The Herald reports concerns about the quality of marking udnertaken by non-experts. https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23563818.fears-raised-quality-checks-amid-university-marking-boycott/
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