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Current issues

Submit an issue (and vote on others) which you would like the Student Leadership Team to discuss at their next meeting.

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  • 10 score
    12 voters

    Improving Accessibility for Students with anxiety in the Academic Appeal Process

    Submitted 5 months ago by Charlotte Taylor
    Current
      3comments
      The current academic appeal policy requires students to approach their tutor in the first instance, which can create a significant barrier for students with disabilities, particularly those experiencing anxiety. This requirement may discourage some students from raising valid appeals due to a lack of confidence or comfort. I propose that the policy include reasonable adjustments, allowing students to provide evidence of circumstances, such as anxiety, that prevent them from approaching their tutor directly.
    Julia McDougall
    1:34pm on 13 Dec 24 I agree that it could be very difficult for an anxious student to challenge a tutor, who they may see as an authority figure. They may also feel that the tutor would take umbrage and mark them down even further. This is how the mind works when people have mental health issues which include anxiety and low self-esteem. Evidence for this is easy to find on-line, such as on NHS-inform. It would be much less triggering for a student to tell a neutral party in the first instance, such as Student Support, or better still, a dedicated contact number for appeals.
    Colleen Light
    2:06pm on 13 Dec 24 I actually agree with this as a whole and not just for students with anxiety, there is a real fear from students as to whether to challenge a grade in that it may result in the tutor looking unfavourably at future tma's. We have such little contact with our tutors a lot of us do not want the negative contact of challenging a mark. A much better solution would be for an independent person to view the work and grade and determine if it was correctly marked before approaching the tutor, however, i understand with the sheer number of students this may not be possible.
    Sophie Ward
    1:46am on 23 Dec 24 I support this whole heartedly. This is my first module with the OU (L2+L3). I really needed to communicate with tutor about a grading disagreement but the level of anxiety this caused me meant I could not. Panic, fear, physical and mental symptoms appear. The torment was costing me my study time. I had to defer the L3 module so I did not have to deal with this. Adding a whole year until I graduate because of this issue is a huge problem.

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    • Passed issues These are the issues which achieved enough votes to be discussed by the Student Leadership Team.

     
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