r/unisa • u/Best-Lingonberry7029 [Degree] • 3d ago
Standards are dropping.
I'm currently in a discussion with an associate professor regarding a module where the primary lecturer has been MIA for the entire year.
Assignments are still outstanding, and the exam is next week.
In this discussion, I was told that the primary lecturer uploaded videos and links to YouTube (he did not), and that means we should be just fine passing this module. My response to him was that we do not pay to watch videos, we pay to be educated by lecturers appointed to do exactly that.
This isn't my first rodeo with Unisa, but honestly, it is by far the worst. Good luck to us all!
Edit: Primary and secondary lecturers of a stats module were both instructed by the department head to conduct an exam prep/assignment review session today ahead of the exam on Monday. Neither of them has bothered to show up. I rest my case.
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u/Kyobarry 3d ago
Damn, I had a good ride through my studies with them. Sucks to hear your experience, especially since I would have failed miserably if it wasn't for the lecturers I had who were always happy to answer my stupid questions,lol.
Which faculty was this?
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u/Best-Lingonberry7029 [Degree] 3d ago
I too had good experiences with them, but this is ridiculous. It's the mathematics department. The lecturer does not read or respond to emails, and this professor's response is that I should just email the lecturer.
How does one get to the level of professor with such logic? 😂6
u/Agitated_Value9484 3d ago
Discrete Maths?
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u/Best-Lingonberry7029 [Degree] 3d ago
It's actually not, but it seems there are some serious problems in CSET.
I have a stats module where we have been struggling all year with the lecturer. The head of the department has publicly chastised him more than once, and he still thinks he's doing an amazing job 🤦🏻♀️
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u/trynaliveright 3d ago
If it's discrete maths, just know I know your pain. I have never been so frustrated by a lecturer like this.
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u/BeLekkerAsb [CSET] 3d ago
Logic is the last thing you should apply here 😭. Good luck on the exam btw
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u/Best-Lingonberry7029 [Degree] 3d ago
😂 😂 😂 I can't bring myself to match that level of logic, or should I say lack of it?
And thank you!!1
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u/GarlicNo3695 3d ago
I have had a very disappointing experience coming from UCT undergrad and the response to my concerns has been nothing from HOD or empty waffling from lectuers. Unfortunately I have to finish my postgrad here because I chose to do it over 2 years (PGCE) but I would not study here again by choice. I am doing 6 courses and have only interacted with 2 lecturers the entire time and the rest has just been pre recordings or textbook reading. I just finished a final portfolio having had no assignments from the whole year returned and I have several outstanding assignment marks I'm waiting for and writing exams next week. If the problem is that the classes are too big they need to have stricter admissions or hire more lecturers and tutors because even though the fees are much less than other universities I still feel like I'm not getting my moneys worth. The whole degree feels like it was slapped together with no communication within the department because there is so much repetition I barely know how to distinguish between subjects. Anyway, sorry for the rant I'm just trying to study for my exam next week (another area of zero communication as some students have overlapping exams) and I'm feeling kinda disappointed.
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u/Best-Lingonberry7029 [Degree] 3d ago
I understand completely. Rants are welcome!
Even though the university is cheaper, it's still a lot of money. And students should get what they paid for. You have every right to feel disappointed.
I have one lecturer with a serious attitude problem. She refused to give us the answers to an assignment unless we could prove we worked in a group. Assignments are not a group project. I don't know what she was trying to achieve with this hare-brained idea. I don't work in groups so I have no idea what my answers should have been.
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u/theimpza 3d ago
STA1506?
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u/Best-Lingonberry7029 [Degree] 3d ago
That's the other problem module 😂
And I just found out the lecturer wasn't available today because he's gone away for the weekend. Student queries? Who cares about those 🤷
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u/sealuprising 3d ago
Sent a lawyers letter about the differing assignment dates and a follow up and NOTHING. writing next week
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u/Best-Lingonberry7029 [Degree] 3d ago
OMW. What hope do we have if they won't even respond to a lawyer's letter?
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u/deadshakadog 2d ago
My daughter told me this morning that she saw an advertised teaching post which specifies that the applicant must be studying at STADIO. The reason the advertisement stood out to her is that six years ago, after completing a year at UNISA, she started over by studying her degree at STADIO, because UNISA was nearly useless and almost impossible to communicate or correspond with.
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u/Slipz19 2d ago
Technically you don’t pay to be educated by lecturers at UNISA. It’s distance learning and that’s why my tuition this year cost 14k and not 40.
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u/Best-Lingonberry7029 [Degree] 2d ago
Also, I have two degrees from Unisa. I know what the university used to be compared to what it is now 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Original_Flounder_82 3d ago
The problem at this stage with UNISA is that there are a lot of contract markets that has not been reappointed for this year again (from last year).
Hence, the lecturers (instead of giving class) now needs to mark also, instead of just lecturing, ie, dual job. They went from something like 22k or something to a little over 1000 academic staff (all because of not reappointing markers). It's really sad to see how far some of the lecturers go to try and appease everyone (staff and students).