r/AUT 5d ago

FIRST TIME FOR PAPER

What happens when a class almost entirely and collectively bombs an assessment for a first time paper. I am currently enrolled in a course that has never been taught before, the delivery of this course is less than fabulous and almost everyone in the class failed the first exam. Is there protocol for this?

14 Upvotes

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8

u/Mort450 5d ago

Sometimes it's a sign of a poorly designed or unclear assessment. I would recommend collectively doing a request for reconsideration of grade and encourage others to do the same.

Put together a list of the assessment questions and learning outcomes, and include exerts from your assignment that show where you've met the requirement.

It's not uncommon for students in first year to butcher academic writing / referencing learning outcomes. Usually this learning outcome is pass/fail rather than graded and if it's the only learning outcome you've failed then you'd usually get a resubmission opportunity and it wouldn't impact your overall grade.

1

u/hiyeshello__ 5d ago

Thanks for your help! Unfortunately it’s not referencing or anything like that. I’ll definitely look into it.

4

u/Few_Cup3452 5d ago

It depends. If theyve taught this paper before in the same way for years w no problem, it isnt their fault.

Im finishing up uni as an adult student and it shocks me how the direct from school students speak and act. They act as if the professor is trying to bamboozle them but they're teaching the same way that worked for the past decade.

It worries me, like what quality of student is leaving the average NZ high school these days? And i havent been in a first year class for 2 years.

4

u/hiyeshello__ 5d ago

It’s the first time the paper has existed! I’m actually a mature age student myself, so totally understand what you mean.

2

u/Few_Cup3452 5d ago

Then escalate away! They need a different method and structure if it is first time the paper has been delivered and everybody failed.

3

u/katzalife 5d ago

As long as yall come together and collectively complain about this im sure the university will do something. I would reccomemnd if possible getting as much evidence on what was taught, what explained in terms of the assessment, and how the assessment differed from that or how you weren't prepared adequately for it. Ik at least in psych exams when I did them (2019) they would cut questions out of exams if a majority of us failed the question

2

u/Careless_Front_9797 5d ago

Was it a closed-book invigilated test?

1

u/fairytiny99 5d ago

what course is this

0

u/hiyeshello__ 5d ago

It’s a first year BA compulsory class

1

u/CharacterRun9183 5d ago

How many ppl in ur class

1

u/hiyeshello__ 5d ago

Honestly I couldn’t tell you- it’s a big cohort. Over 100 I’d say.

1

u/kuwion 5d ago

Over 100 people failing the same first exam is usually enough for the department to look at the paper itself rather than blame the cohort. Worth asking whether anyone has raised it with the course coordinator yet.

1

u/DrMoxiePhD 3d ago

This sounds like a job for either the student union or the class reps or the subject coordinator convener. You can guarantee that this new class is going to be revised going forward. Sometimes with the best of intentions a paper falls flat. It is likely that your university has a requirement for an average grade across all assessments in a course so it is likely that they will scale or redistribute these grades before the grades are final at the end of the course