Much as the term "learning agreement" sounds like some irritating management fuckwit buzzword
I appreciate that the lecturers have a responsibility to teach an adequate course and set a fair exam thereupon. I can, however, also see why you need to make the complementary responsibilities clear to the students, as there are some who will just piss three years' education up the wall if you don't keep them in line.

Aside from which, if a lecturer's really that inadequate, surely the students will complain? I was quite reassured to see my own undergraduate department took such complaints quite seriously if enough noise was made at the time.
(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 14:53, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

Oh fuck, yeah
If we were shit we'd be out on our ear. But, that doesn't apply to all unis (Oxbridge/Russell group are traditionally the worst as they regard teaching as an irritating distraction a lot of the time)

then again, we just came first in the NSS survey this year in my teaching subject so I would say that ;)
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 14:55, Reply)

Also, to your earlier point
that's what accreditation is about. Decent courses are accredited by the respective professional institutes, and they check teaching, exams, course content, delivery etc. So that covers the lecturer's responsibility mostly.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 14:58, Reply)

Good point, I'd forgotten about that!

(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 14:59, Reply)

Oddly enough it was an ex-Oxford guy who attracted the most complaints on my undergrad course
Apparently it broke records...

(Though to be fair, in the end he did respond to certain requests from the department and actually set a very reasonable exam at the end of the year)
(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 14:58, Reply)

most of them want to do research
though in fairness bar one person I have had exceptional teaching and committment from my tutors, including one who if you were at all into Classics/Ancient History you'd know the name of, so technically she should be the worst
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 15:03, Reply)

I moved from UCL to a "less old School" Uni 4 years ago, to start my own research group
Although I'm mostly employed to do research, that's the exception rather than the norm here, so I still had to do the equivalent of a PGCE for lecturers part-time over 2 years, and there are movements to make that a requirement, same as schoolteachers. But, again, Russell group are blocking it.
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 15:05, Reply)

Of course they are.
Whilst it does give me a wonderful veneer of smug to be able to tell people I'm based at a Russell Group uni (another croissant, please, dear boy), the people who run them frequently come across a bunch of phenomenally arrogant cunts.

On that note, is it Queen's Belfast this cunt's suing? I notice they're also Russell Group...
"CUNTS VS CUNT: Whoever wins...they're still a cunt."
(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 15:08, Reply)

It's like arguing on the internet
..whoever wins, everyone loses ....

*passes croissant*

I'm not against Russell Group - hell, UCL made my research career - but they currently seem to think they can control a lot of things by going "ah, but we're good, so what we says goes"
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 15:12, Reply)

Yes, so am I
it surprised me just how massively cliquey and pompous academics are.
(berk, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 15:13, Reply)

I know, it's like /OT in real life...

(LongJohnBaldry, Tue 21 Sep 2010, 15:16, Reply)