Friday 07-07-2023 - 14:14

you remember we did a poll for you on Instagram about UCU and the ongoing Marking & Assessment Boycott? 

here are the answers by UCU to all your questions you requested  

1. how will the MAB impact student graduations?

‘The graduations have not been impacted although the marks will not all be available by the graduations. The University has invoked Force Majeure policy meaning that students are being allowed to graduate and progress on as little as 60 credits. It is worth noting that consumer protection law explicitly states that industrial action cannot be invoked in order to deploy Force Majeure, meaning that this allows students to claim refunds on this basis: see 5.37  Higher education: consumer law advice for providers 31st May 2023’ 

 An update from the Union: We’ve been assured by the university that all students will have received their marks before graduations take place. 

2. some universities are deducting salaries, is it the same here and where is it going?

UCU response: Kingston has deducted 50% of salaries over a period of 6 weeks to staff participating. It also in some cases is deducting sick days and annual leave days (many taken for compassionate reasons). We do not know as of yet if these deductions will continue in the following months. 

•  how long will grades be delayed for?

UCU response: ‘We do not know this – we think the university will be employing external markers or redeploy internal staff without the specific subject specialism to mark, as has happened in other universities, but we do not know the timeline for this.’ 

 An update from the Union: We have been assured by the university that graduations will not be delayed. 

4. what happens If I miss out on my job or MA because of delayed marks?

 UCU response: ‘We do not envisage the MAB will have this impact, but it is worth remembering that this is a national dispute so marks are being delayed everywhere in the country. Even staff participating in the marking boycott can still write references based on your previous performance as a student and argue the case for your acceptance on MA programmes and jobs but seeing how Force Majeure has been deployed we do not envisage that the grades will be delayed before September and October enrolments on postgraduate courses. This could however have been a much more straightforward process if UCEA would be willing to get back to the negotiating table and if Kingston’s VC, Stephen Spier, requested that negotiations restart as have many other VCs in the country.’ 

5. are some students going to be impacted more than others?

UCU response: ‘In terms of getting access to full grades yes, some departments are more affected than others and many union members in certain faculties were undermined by having their marking pre-emptively taken away from them (which is legally dubious). However graduation ceremonies are going ahead.’ 

an update from the Union: We have met with the university and understand that the total number of final year students impacted by delays is below 100, although all would receive their marks before graduation. All students whose results were delayed will have been contacted by the university before results were released, including a timeline of when your results would be available to you. 

6. what If I miss out on graduation because of delayed marks but my friends on other courses don’t?

UCU responded: ‘Graduations will be happening due to Force Majeure being implemented.’ 

 an update from the Union: we understand that no student should miss their graduation due to the delays. 

7. my friends at another university are seeking refunds for missed opportunities from all the strikes, can we do the same? 

UCU responded: ‘Yes you can and you should. You can point to consumer protection law in relationship to graduations where full grades have not yet been delivered and Force Majeure has been invoked. 

‘you can also submit academic appeals if you think there have been irregularities in the assessment process. E.g. if you don't think marking has been fair and proper, and subject to both internal moderation and external examiner scrutiny. In either case, seek advice from UKS. 

‘for more information see linktr.ee/kingstonucu which includes our explainer for students and template letters’ 

what next? 

we at the Union thank both UCU and Kingston University for engaging with us to understand the impact on students and where support can be accessed. 

we understand that some of you may be unhappy with your result and that you may wish to appeal. The guidance for appeals can be found here: Academic appeals. You can also seek advice from UKS on this process via this link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=nALvyc8YFkCG05PPjpT_lKw8d2OVhVFFrEFfCpq1lW9UMlJEMkJLNjNXTkdRTVNISUtKV1MyVlFLVi4u  

UCU are directing students to this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P29RD4BVw9wxqMm9jK5N8-cLxPwXqU66/view  

if you find that the feedback relating to your work is inconsistent with what you’ve received before, or that your marks and it’s specifically due to the Marking & Assessment Boycott, please complete this form: https://forms.office.com/e/jfuqMs3EQa  

the above form does not replace the form needed to access the union advice service so this will still need to be completed. The above form will help us specifically track where students feel they’ve been impacted by the industrial action. 

if you are concerned about the industrial action, or have any questions, please do get in touch with us at representation@kingston.ac.uk