A Subject I Failed (Due to The Work Being Overwhelmingly Difficult) Has Now Been Made Significantly More Easy. What Can I Do?

LRyujin on 20/03/2017 - 10:06

Hey guys,

The subject in question is a Networking subject at University level. A majority of the class has failed due to the class being too hard, supposedly the subject coordinator was also sacked (Not too sure on the reason, just rumors). This actually really affects my GPA due to having a fail on my record, I wouldn't mind accepting the fail but this semester the subject has been modified to be much easier. The final exam is worth 50% and is open-book which means literally anyone should pass now. I feel this is unfair on my part, do you think I could do anything about this or even get the fail cleared?

Education & Work

Comments

  • Skramit on 20/03/2017 - 10:14
    +1

    Re-take the easier subject and ace it. High Distinction guaranteed.

  • pineleaf124 on 20/03/2017 - 10:18
    +6

    I would complain to the university/lodge a formal complaint.

    • Gunther on 20/03/2017 - 10:29
      +1

      I would go this route, potential to have it removed from your record if you aced the subject would be very high.

      • coco1458 on 20/03/2017 - 11:03
        +1

        It'd need some sort of consideration from the University as they generally don't want students taking this avenue just because they failed. If no students passed the unit it'd be a different matter but there's no harm in trying :)
        Good luck and keep working hard

  • ronnknee on 20/03/2017 - 10:20
    +1

    Obligatory bikies?

    • Pharos5 on 20/03/2017 - 11:00

      Obligatory call it an expensive life lesson and do nothing.

      • cuteseal on 20/03/2017 - 14:30
        +1

        Obligatory eneloops?

  • try2bhelpful on 20/03/2017 - 11:30
    +2

    If this is really bothering you I would talk to the University about the result and see if you can redo the subject and resit the exam. However, once you get your first job using your qualifications you results will recede very quickly. It depends on how much effort you want to put into this. We have all had this subjects like this.

  • cloudy on 20/03/2017 - 11:32
    +4

    High chance this subject is targeted at cashed up students, and after the high failure rates the uni had objections with the coordinator of the subject about the conflicts of money it drives in and the level of knowledge required to pass.

    I honestly think these courses should just be scrapped as it lowers the effectiveness of education. Educatoin I've designed so everyone, or even many, pass. It's supposed to signal to future employees this person has the foundations of the course, and shows a level of commitment and intellect to pursue the field of study.

    Sadly, too many unis just want to see a 85% pass rate.

    • PVA on 20/03/2017 - 11:51
      +1

      I thought the same.
      Students find the subject hard so the University just makes it easier to pass. Pretty poor.

      • cloudy on 20/03/2017 - 23:22
        +1

        Uni's are financially incentivised to pass, so its hard Uni's to fail students and still get parents to pay for $6000 per unit.

    • lisamacoz on 21/03/2017 - 11:06
      +1

      With that rate, it's pretty scary to think of future doctors, air traffic controllers, architects and just about everybody else. It is truly sickening and frightening to watch the education system become all about money without a thought to the future it could bring us.

      • cloudy on 21/03/2017 - 13:05

        Couldn't agree more.

        It also makes it so much harder for employers to know who to employ. Once upon a time, having a degree signified someone who is decently book smart, but also hard working enough to do well. It wasnt a case of ur smart and u can pass by still budging, u still had to put in some hard yards hitting the books. So saying you had a degree meant something. Now days, I feel like my degree isn't worth much due to the lowering of standards by universities.

      • Ughhh on 21/03/2017 - 13:28

        I know a particular uni that pretty much has a no fail policy, even degrees such as nursing. Hospitals know this and avoid hiring anyone from that uni. Not sure if students know if their degree is now worthess, or realise that "cheating" or taking short cuts may backfire.

      • goodcopbadcop on 21/03/2017 - 16:40

        I assume that "Networking" is a subject in an IT degree? Doctors, air traffic controllers, architects and just about anybody else - except for those who work in IT need this subject and use it in their work environment. Not so sure that the same pressure to pass occurs in the non-IT courses? I know that it is also prevalent in accountancy and business courses.

  • kywst on 20/03/2017 - 11:39

    Computer Networking or Social/Business Networking? Can't imagine the first being open book but now really curious …

  • SilentBob on 20/03/2017 - 11:42
    +2

    Why do I get the sense you didn't really try your best for the first exam..

  • PJC on 20/03/2017 - 11:43
    +5

    You could ask about it immediately after joining a website concerning bargains.

  • airzone on 20/03/2017 - 11:53

    Student union.

  • sparkles on 20/03/2017 - 13:14

    I can relate. I failed a subject at uni (scored 48 or 49), re-did the subject the following semester, actually genuinely studied second time around, figuring I had definitely gained, and got 42. Sometimes in retrospect (many years later) I am in awe how I even managed to finish my degree.

    • try2bhelpful on 20/03/2017 - 16:10

      I feel like that about my first degree. Just barely scraped through and only finished it because I started it; just not what I shoud've been doing. My second degree was the one I got the marks, and jobs, with.

  • BrewerHaHa on 20/03/2017 - 13:48

    That happened at my uni. Most people know it was very difficult and I'm pretty sure we all just copped it and did it again if we failed. Thank goodness it was easier the second time around. But I also feel like uni courses get dumbed down over time which is a little unfortunate. Looking back at what was offered 10 years ago (even on the HSC) what I studied was much easier.

    IN essence, I don't think you can get it cleared nor do I think you can do too much about it but give it a go regardless. GL OP, tell us how it goes.

  • driew on 20/03/2017 - 14:18

    Suck it up as one of life's lessons. Obviously something has got to give when you work and study at the same time (I did this and I understand some people sometimes don't have a choice) but learning from this mistake should drive you to try harder in the future.

  • BigTed on 20/03/2017 - 15:29

    Don't they mark everyone on a curve to ensure standard distribution of marks?
    So, if it was super hard wouldn't everyone have simply been scaled up?

    • Sensiekatie on 21/03/2017 - 14:13

      Not everyone actually does this. It is up to the individual, so they each have their own methods. For some, HD is above 90%. In my year, no one achieved that, so no HD's. I got 89.5% and my tutor appealed and assisted me to do so. My mark was well above anyone else, but still no HD.

      I only knew one who compared statistically the markers in assignments and exams. If it appeared there was a discrepancy, He would adjust for that.

      He told us upfront that passes and failed would not be based on who got over 50%. Basically it equated to 50% of the adjusted top mark.

  • Colombian on 20/03/2017 - 15:44
    +1

    Student Bikies

  • BuyoTheCat on 20/03/2017 - 16:25

    I had a subject that was mildly difficult. The lecturer was an old grumpy polish guy. I got along with him because we had the same dry humour.

    I asked if the exam was going to be difficult. He replied, "It is so easy I am ashamed of it."

    The exam was piss easy. 50% of the course still failed.

    My experiance is open book exams are not about the material in the books. It is about understanding the matterial.
    The book is not going to help without understanding the material.

  • aspirepranesh on 20/03/2017 - 16:42

    When I was a student at Swinburne, Computer Networking was one subject which was a no go for almost everyone. it was a tradition that mostly 80% of the class failed the paper. Everyone I knew said it was tough, and anyone who passed managed to scrape through.

    They said it was a lot due to the staff and maybe it was a way for the uni to make more money!

  • toniyellow on 20/03/2017 - 16:52
    +1

    If the expectations were actually unreasonable, you have a case to get it removed from your transcript and the fees returned to you. Start with your student union, then move to the Student Ombudsman at your university, as they are independent from the University.

    You will need to actually demonstrate that the staff did not teach the content that was covered in the assessments. You should be able to prove this with copies of your lecture slides, tutorial materials etc, compared to the exam content. It cannot just be that the lecturer was boring and used jargon when they covered the content and people did not pay attention, or that the tutor recommended 3 hours of homework a week, but only collected twice in a semester so people did not do enough practice problems to get the skills.

    So go in with actual evidence, so they can distinguish your genuine complaint from the literal thousands of complaints they get from students who try it on just in case because in high school if they whinged for long enough they got bumped up a few marks. Write clearly and give examples.

    If they have changed the content between last year and this year, they can do that. They are meant to do that to keeps things up to date with best practice. The volume of learning should be the same though - the amount of face to face and at home study time it takes to complete. If you think the volume of learning has significantly reduced you may have some avenue for complaint, but make sure you actually understand all the tasks they expect student to do, and how long they expect them to take.

    If it is just that the lecturer this year is different, and students like the new guy better, there is no avenue for complaint. Just as you will have a different variety of bosses in your future life, there are different kinds of subject coordinators. Some will be very obsessive with attendance, homework etc and micromanage students into learning. Some will be very funny and engaging and motivate students into learning. Others are boring and difficult, but if they provide students with the basic tools and students don’t use them because they don’t like their boring difficult lecturer, that is their own problem. They are grown adults who can ask questions if it is not clear, and read the textbook or additional materials that may be more engaging.

    Open book exams do not necessarily signal easy. Often the difficulty of the questions is increased, and there is more of them, so you don’t have a ton of spare time to just sit and read.

  • AssamLaksa on 20/03/2017 - 19:17

    I actually think this is quite normal for them to "dumb it down" if it was too hard in previous years. Unis are constantly making adjustments to their course especially if it was a newly introduced unit. Basically they're trying to "strike a balance" of having a certain amount of fails and HDs. So this year they might find that too many people are scoring HDs instead of failing, and they will make adjustments again and make it more difficult. It's really just bad luck on your case I believe, but it can't be avoided as it is a trial and error process for them to find that balance.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/03/2017 - 00:22
    +1

    One fail on your record isn't going to be the end of the world. I hate it when people think this. I have about 3 fails and couldn't care less. We're all human.

  • Seraphin7 on 21/03/2017 - 08:59
    +3

    How do I get a bargain out of this?

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