To the Head of the Department,
Language and Communication
172131 Distance, Summer School

We are writing this petition collaboratively, as a formal complaint in relation to this paper.

We feel it is necessary to raise our concerns about the poor standard of this paper. We believe that tutor input has been lacking and unavailable at critical times. On occasion it has taken upto 14 days to receive a response to questions which has made it difficult to complete assignments and also study for exams.

We felt that overall there was a severe lack of communication and that the paper was poorly written, structured and organised. There have been comments from students such as ‘we paid good money for a wad of notes’. We also felt that confusion was generated within the course notes as some students recieved an older version with different information than the new version. This message was not conveyed until close to the A3 deadline, resulting in confusion and anxiety, as well as some completely overhauling their assignments, close to the deadline.

To improve this paper and ensure maximum engagement we suggest access to lecture videos/slides be provided and that readings be condensed. Also, that the stream layout be revised as it is difficult to navigate and pieces of relevant information were scattered throughout different sections of the page.

We understand that distance courses are primarily self-study and that onus is on us to ensure it is completed however the lack of engagement and communication from the tutor has had a major impact on our motivation, our understanding and ultimately our learnings. As paying students, we have expectations that what is offered meets a certain standard and collectively feel that this paper has failed in that respect.