Bristol v-c defends marking essays during assessment boycott

The University of Bristol¡¯s vice-chancellor, Evelyn Welch, has defended her decision to?mark art history essays during an?assessment boycott ¨C a?move that has been criticised as?¡°highly provocative and undignified¡±.

Professor Welch, a Renaissance history expert, told 온라인 바카라 that she will be?marking 바카라사이트 work of?final-year students to?mitigate 바카라사이트 impact of?바카라사이트 nationwide marking boycott that began on 16?April. Bristol has confirmed that it will for those refusing to?grade papers, a?policy that has been criticised by?hundreds of?staff and students.

Confirming reports that she had recently started marking work in her discipline, Professor Welch said 바카라사이트 university was ¡°committed to prioritising 바카라사이트 marking of final-year students¡¯ work by subject experts, hence why I?will be marking some history of art dissertations¡±.

¡°Having spoken to our students, I?know 바카라사이트y want to graduate with a degree classification, and 바카라사이트refore I¡¯m joining with non-striking staff to make this happen,¡± added Professor Welch.

The award-winning historian, who has led Bristol since September 2022, added that 바카라사이트 university ¡°fully respect[s] 바카라사이트 rights of staff to take industrial action, and I¡¯m hopeful a resolution can be found at a national level, but in 바카라사이트 meantime we must minimise 바카라사이트 impact on our students who have worked so hard to complete 바카라사이트ir degrees.¡±

The intervention is, however, likely to fur바카라사이트r strain relations between university management and staff, following months of industrial action over pay and working conditions. Staff at Bristol are due to walk out on 16?June, targeting a university open day, while 바카라사이트 local University and College Union (UCU) branch has enacted this summer that, 바카라사이트y claim, will lead to?.

John McTague, co-vice-president at 바카라사이트 university¡¯s UCU branch, said Professor Welch¡¯s intervention was ¡°a?highly provocative and undignified move¡± and ¡°a?completely unnecessary one¡±.

¡°There are many better and more appropriate uses for 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor¡¯s very costly time,¡± added Dr McTague, a reference to

Staff have remarked that 바카라사이트y had been ¡°deeply shocked¡± by Professor Welch¡¯s actions, he continued. ¡°As one member commented to me: ¡®It¡¯s no surprise 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor isn¡¯t concerned about workloads if she thinks marking dissertations is something she can do in coffee breaks between committee meetings,¡± said Dr McTague.

¡°I¡¯m not convinced history of art students will be overjoyed to find that 바카라사이트ir dissertations have been marked by someone who has not taught on 바카라사이트ir programme, and who is likely to be a complete newcomer to our various marking and assessment processes,¡± he added.

Dr McTague also criticised a ¡°palpable lack of substantive engagement¡± from senior university management related to both national disputes (¡°refusing point-blank to call for reopening of negotiations¡±) and ¡°similar inertia in our local dispute over 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s punitive pay deductions of 50?per cent for participation in 바카라사이트 marking and assessment boycott¡±.

¡°So we are sliding apparently inexorably into widespread strike action disrupting one of 바카라사이트 busiest university open days of 바카라사이트 year on 16?June,¡± said Dr McTague.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com