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
52
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 Rob Behrens, the increase in complaints is likely to continue as long as______.
选项
A、we are living in a customer culture
B、universities increase tuition fees
C、students have to pay their tuition fees
D、the level of unemployment keeps rising
答案
B
解析
这两句提到,他(Rob Behrens)预计,投诉数量的增长仍将继续。“只要学费上涨、学生变成顾客、人才市场越来越严峻而学生不得不尽全力确保自己合格,投诉量就会增加。”由此可见,直接引语处是对,Rob Behrens预计的投诉增长的解释,也就是投诉增长的原因。不难看出,学费上涨是源头,故答案为[B]。
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
ClimateChangeClimatechangeiswithus.Adecadeago,itwasconjecture.Nowthefutureisunfoldingbeforeoureyes.Cana
Peoplewhodescribethem.themselvesasperfectionistsmaydowellonjobinterviews,butnewstudyfindingssuggestthatthey
Arecentfilm"TheGodsMustBeCrazy"【B1】______thesocialchangethatcanresultinasocietyfromtheintroductionofa【B2】___
A、Thehistorybook.B、TheEnglishbook.C、Themathbook.D、Thechemistrybook.D关于借书的情况女士说得很详细。本题问借到哪本书,只需听对原文对应部分chemistryboo
Acollegeeducationisaninvestmentinthefuture.Butitcanbea【B1】______investment.TheCollegeBoard【B2】______thatthecos
Childrenmodelthemselveslargelyontheirparents.Theydosomainlythroughidentification.Childrenidentify【C1】______aparen
A、Specialpaths.B、Resurfacedhighways.C、Moreparkingspace.D、Betterstreetlighting.A
A、Theyshouldshowboththegoodandbadsidesofthehouse.B、Themanshouldtakeasmanypicturesaspossible.C、Theyarebett
A、Dogisbetterthanacatbecauseitneedsregularexercises.B、Morethanhalfofthe6,000peopleenjoygoodhealth.C、People
Inafamilywheretherolesofmenandwomenarenotsharplyseparatedandwheremanyhouseholdtasksaresharedtoagreateror
随机试题
维护统一、反对分裂是中华民族民族精神的核心。
一个硬盘的平均等待时间为4ms,平均寻道时间为6ms,则平均访问时间为_______。
Jimmysupportsthewholefamilyby______worksofartinthemuseum.
孕6个月余,面目四肢浮肿,下肢尤甚,按之没指,心悸气短,腰酸无力,舌淡苔白润,脉沉细治疗应首选( )。
张某因不服税务局查封财产决定向上级机关申请复议,要求撤销查封决定,但没有提出赔偿请求。复议机关经审查认为该查封决定违法,决定予以撤销。对于查封决定造成的财产损失,复议机关正确的做法是()。
某岩体的岩石单轴饱和抗压强度为10MPa,在现场做岩体的波速试验Vpm=4.0km/s,在室内对岩块进行波速试验Vpr=5.2km/s,如不考虑地下水、软弱结构面及初始应力的影响,按《工程岩体分级标准》(GB50218—1994)计算岩体基本质量指
场地清理费实行的费率是()。
导游员违反约定,擅自增加用餐、娱乐、医疗保健等项目,( )应承担旅游者的全部费用。
以下哪项列出的可能是最符合条件的种植安排?以下哪项陈述不可能为真?
Spurredbyawarmingclimate,daily【C1】______hightemperaturesoccurredtwiceasoftenasrecordlowsoverthelastdecadeacros
最新回复
(
0
)