首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Universities must deal better with complaints With student complaints at a record high, universities will have to raise their ga
Universities must deal better with complaints With student complaints at a record high, universities will have to raise their ga
admin
2012-02-29
103
问题
Universities must deal better with complaints
With student complaints at a record high, universities will have to raise their game once tuition fees rise
Two universities that have broken official rules for dealing with student complaints are named today in the independent adjudicators (仲裁人) annual report. The two, Southampton and Westminster, are the first to be exposed in this way — yet another sign of the new era in which universities are expected to be more accountable (负责) to students who expect to be treated as customers.
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), which reviews complaints when students have exhausted their university’s procedures, also reports a record rise in the number of cases. Last year the office received 1,341 complaints against universities in England and Wales, the highest number ever and an unprecedented (空前的) rise of one-third on the year before.
As the adjudicator himself, Rob Behrens, points out, 1,341 complaints represents just 0.05% of higher education students, and 53% of those were not justified. But, he also observes, the proportion of justified and partly justified complaints has grown for the first time in several years. He predicts the increase in complaints will continue. "It’s to be expected where you have rising tuition fees, where students are being invited to behave like consumers and where the labour market is difficult so students will do what they can to ensure they qualify."
He says his decision to expose the universities of Southampton and Westminster is not "naming and shaming, with all the associations of moral censure that term implies". He was, he explains, simply following OIA rules — something those two institutions failed to do.
Westminster fell short in its handling of two complaints. One was from a student who argued a disability hadn’t been properly taken into account. The adjudicator agreed. The other student claimed that an exam question and its marking scheme had been unreasonable. In both cases the university broke the rules by failing to resolve the cases, as recommended, promptly and in full.
At Southampton University, four months after the OIA concluded that an undergraduate had a justified complaint about their experience on a placement, the university continued to oppose the decision and was refusing compensation.
In a second case, the university also failed to comply with the adjudicator’s decision. And in a third one, although the complaint turned out to be unjustified, for 10 months the university delayed the investigation by failing to provide evidence despite the adjudicator’s repeated reminders.
At both universities, it was only after the adjudicator involved the vice-chancellors (校长) that the complaints began to be resolved.
Behrens is pleased the relationships between his office and both universities are now much more positive. "As the government places more emphasis on the student experience, complaints have an important role in safeguarding (保护) that," he says. "Universities must see complaints as feedback to become more professional."
Both Southampton and Westminster universities want to charge undergraduates annual fees of £9,000. There is an expectation, not only from ministers, but importantly from students and their families, too, that all universities wishing to increase charges will move to increase student satisfaction as well.
Before making an investment of £27,000, for example, each student will ask, "Is this good value? Is the teaching good? Is this the best route to a successful career?"
Universities are being encouraged, some may say pressurised, to become more transparent and accountable in a number of ways.
The government is urging all universities to publish a student charter, a sort of statement of terms and conditions to remind students of their responsibilities and their rights. Universities are also expected to publish "key information sets" by September 2012. These will enable students to shop around by providing the same 17 pieces of information about each institution, including, for example, the proportion of "contact" time and group work, and the careers and starting salaries of previous graduates.
The OIA is already looking at creative ways to cope with both limited resources and likely further rises in student complaints. Settling more disputes by phone is one option; helping universities to install an independent ombudsman (巡视员) on each campus — an idea borrowed from the Netherlands and the US — is another.
The question is, are UK universities well prepared for the new consumer culture where the deal is if you pay more, you expect more, and if you feel you’re not getting it, you’ll complain?
The question is particularly pertinent for the universities of Southampton and Westminster on the day they are exposed for dragging their feet with a legally established adjudicator. Both vice-chancellors were unavailable for interview.
In a statement, Professor Debra Humphris, Southampton’s pro-vice-chancellor, education, said the vast majority of the small number of student complaints are dealt with swiftly, described the dialogue with the OIA as "constructive and supportive" and said that an improved complaints procedure will be in place this autumn.
In a more defiant statement, Professor Geoffrey Petts, vice-chancellor at Westminster, points out that the university is working with the OIA towards compliance with its recommendations: "The University of Westminster was disappointed to have been cited in the OIA report. The university has robust procedures for handling the very small number of formal complaints which it receives from students."
Aaron Porter, the president of the National Union of Students, has welcomed the new step of naming universities that don’t fully co-operate with the adjudicator. "In an environment where students are paying higher fees and will therefore raise expectations, they need to know which institutions stick to the rules."
He also makes this warning: "Faced with increasing competition to recruit students, many universities are being tempted to make grander and grander claims. They need to improve their offer, but they need to be honest in what they promise."
The advice is echoed by Steve Smith, president of Universities UK and vice-chancellor of the University of Exeter. He sees, in the adjudicator’s annual report, a sector getting to grips with a new world where students are more demanding and will make sure universities correctly follow procedures. "It is vital that institutions are honest and transparent about what students can expect from their courses. In an age of marketing, don’t oversell. Any institution will have to make sure they do what they say."
According to Professor Debra Humphris, the University of Southampton will be ready to use______this autumn.
选项
答案
an improved complaints procedure
解析
空前的to use表明,本空应填一名词(短语)。该段的第二个said后提到,将于秋季引入更完善的投诉程序。题干中的will be ready to use与文中的will be in place对应,因此will be in place的主语an improved complaints procedure即为题干中use的宾语,即本题答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/XEf7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
OnthenightofJune8,Iwaswatchinga【B1】______TVshowwithmyfamily.WegotalittlenervouswhentheTVnewssaidthatthe
A、Shewillteachhimhowtoswim.B、Heneedstogetphysicalexaminations.C、Shewillhelphimmakethesigns.D、Heshouldtake
A、Thedoorneedsrepairing.B、Hehadlostallhiskeys.C、Hecouldn’topenthedoor.D、Hewantedthewomantohelphim.C信息明示题。
Childrenmodelthemselveslargelyontheirparents.Theydosomainlythroughidentification.Childrenidentify【C1】______aparen
Humanmigrations(迁移)withinrecordedhistoryhavetransformedtheentirecharacteroflandsandcontinentsandthecomposition
Humanmigrations(迁移)withinrecordedhistoryhavetransformedtheentirecharacteroflandsandcontinentsandthecomposition
A、Theyshouldshowboththegoodandbadsidesofthehouse.B、Themanshouldtakeasmanypicturesaspossible.C、Theyarebett
Itmusthavebeenaftertwoo’clockinthemorningwhenthelastguests【C1】______theirleave,andalthoughwehadenjoyedthe
A、Gotowatchthebaseballmatch.B、Drivetowork.C、Trytofixthecar.D、Stopworkingandhavesomerest.C女士的建议提得很含蓄,她用“我还以为
Thelawisgreatmassofrules,showingwhenandhowfaramanis【S1】______tobepunished,ortobemadetohandovermoneyorp
随机试题
客户机/服务器模式中,每个节点()
乙型肝炎病毒血清学检测HBeAg阳性说明
女性假两性畸形最常见的原因是
属于两性生物碱的是
政府的土地供给、住房、金融、财政税收等政策的变更,均会对房地产的()产生影响。
混凝土质量配合比为1:1.95:3.52:0.58(水泥:砂子:石子:水),则当水泥质量为336kg时,对应的石子质量约为()Kg。
不同国家民族在追求自身梦想时可能沿循不同的路径,这是自然现象,但也可以相互_______,不断优化。无论是“中国梦”还是“美国梦”,都应防止极端和_______。极端的个人主义行为已经让美国吃了不少苦头,从华尔街的金融巨骗到校园中的变态枪手都成为范例。
人们对于搭乘航班的恐惧其实是毫无道理的。据统计,只在1995年,全世界死于地面交通事故的人数超出80万,而在自1990年至1999年的10年间,全世界平均每年死于空难的还不到500人,而在这10年间,我国平均每年罹于空难的还不到25人。为了评价上
19世纪有一位英国改革家说,每一个勤劳的农夫,都至少拥有两头牛。那些没有牛的,通常是些好吃懒做的人。因此,他的改革方式便是国家给每一个没有牛的农夫两头牛,这样整个国家就没有好吃懒做的人了。这位改革家明显犯了一个逻辑错误。以下哪项论证中出现的逻辑错
Aseveryoneknows,wordsconstantlytakeonnewmeanings.Sincethesedonotnecessarily,norevenusually,taketheplaceofth
最新回复
(
0
)