Should students impacted by covid-19/strikes be reimbursed?

[~ True Legend ~]

Do you think students should be reimbursed partially or fully with their tuition fees given they missed out on in-person training?

I just read a good article.

The number of student complaints about university courses in England and Wales reached a record high for a fourth year running, in 2022.

University student complaints hit record high in England and Wales for fourth successive year

Complaints about grades have risen in England and Wales since the end of Covid disruption policies.

www.bbc.co.uk

Complaint levels

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) received 2,850 complaints - 3% more than in 2021 - and £1,050,114 was awarded in compensation.

Universities UK said "the vast majority of students leave their degrees with highly positive experiences".

Just under a quarter of the 2022 complaints related to the pandemic.

That compared with more than a third of those received in 2021, although Covid still appears to be having an impact.

There was a rise in complaints relating to academic appeals, after universities ended policies that protected students' grades from disruption. They made up 38% of the total - a rise from 29% in 2021.

Complaints about service issues, such as teaching, also represented 38% - although this was down from 45% in 2021.

Case

Lydia Pennell, 22, left Manchester Metropolitan University after her first year of a fashion design course, which she began in September 2020.

She told the BBC that most of the teaching was online, so she missed out on time using the facilities.

"I didn't make a single garment during my first year. I didn't know how to sew, or how to use any of the machines in uni," she said.

In one online workshop, she said students were asked to use wine bottles instead of mannequins, and dress them using paper and masking tape, rather than fabric.

Miss Pennell complained to the OIA last year, having already complained to the university. None of the complaints were upheld.

She said she was frustrated about the prospect of paying back her tuition fee loan for that year.

"It's disappointing to throw that much money away for an outcome that doesn't exist at all," she said.

Manchester Metropolitan University said teaching took place online throughout national lockdowns, and in-person sessions were available when restrictions were not in place.

A spokesman said it provided "a wide range of practical support for students to work from home", which included sewing machines for second and third-year fashion students, as well as "mini mannequins".

Causes

The OIA report said the fact complaints related to academic appeals had risen in 2022 is likely to be because universities ended "no detriment" or "safety net" policies.

These aimed to protect students' grades from being negatively impacted when teaching moved online.

Often the policies, introduced for 2020-21, meant students' grades were based on their performance up until the pandemic.

"At the same time, the pressures on providers make it more difficult for them to support students effectively."

Universities will face "soaring demand" for places in the coming years, according to admissions service Ucas.

The number of applicants could grow by 30% between 2022 and 2030, it said - reaching about one million by the start of the next decade.

Strike action over pay, working conditions and pensions has been adding to pressure on universities in recent years.

The OIA said only a "small number of complaints" related to industrial action last year.

However, there has been more action this year, with university staff walking out again in February and March. A marking boycott has now started at more than 140 institutions, and further strike dates could be announced.

A spokeswoman for Universities UK, which represents 140 institutions, said the OIA report helped universities know "how and where to improve".

She said most students had positive experiences, but that some dissatisfaction was "inevitable".

 

[Heatman]

The educational system didn't pause here when COVID hit. Everything went online and that's how students weren't affected by their academic session.

But for countries where education was halted 100%, students should be reimbursed 100%.

 

[Shortie]

If students received online tuition during the pandemic and it was there for them to use then I do not believe that they should be reimbursed for missed tutoring. If the student refused to take part in the online tutoring I don't feel that warrants them getting their fees back.

If the students were not offered any online tutoring during the pandemic and all their learning was stopped because of COVID-19 then I do believe they should be reimbursed.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

If students received online tuition during the pandemic and it was there for them to use then I do not believe that they should be reimbursed for missed tutoring. If the student refused to take part in the online tutoring I don't feel that warrants them getting their fees back.

If the students were not offered any online tutoring during the pandemic and all their learning was stopped because of COVID-19 then I do believe they should be reimbursed.

We're both based in the UK. Learning went online, sure, but if you read the article, this obviously means that access to certain equipment and materials was denied and alternative arrangements had to be made.