Undergraduate feedback and complaints procedures

The university, the Faculty and your college are always glad to receive comments (good or bad) about your experience of studying history at Oxford. There are a number of channels open to you to express your opinons or register any complaints you may have:

1. By completing a Lecture and Class Questionnaire;
2. By referring an issue to your college representative or the Undergraduate Historians’ Assembly;
3. By referring an issue to the Undergraduate Joint Consultative Committee (JCC);
4. By following a formal complaints procedure within the Faculty, your college or via the University Proctors.

1. Lecture and Class Questionnaires

The Faculty encourages and welcomes feedback from undergraduates on the lectures and classes it provides and such feecback forms a vital part of the Faculty’s mechanisms for evaluating success or failure in meeting its teaching objectives. It is extremely important that we receive a high level of responses to courses and lectures, and that students provide us with a substantial amount of constructively critical, as well as appreciative, response to teaching. Feedback on tutorials is arranged through colleges, all of which have mechanisms in place whereby students are encouraged to comment regularly on the quality, relevance and effectiveness of tutorial teaching, and to send these returns to the College Senior Tutor or the Head of House.

Comment on teaching can be of many kinds; but while praise will boost a lecturer's confidence and just criticism of content or delivery should spur him or her to improve, the most valuable feedback is that which comments on the structure of the lecture course or classes, and makes suggestions about topics which could be included, covered in more detail or omitted. This is especially the case in first year teaching, when a substantial part of the lecture provision, above all in British and General History, is in the form of large-scale lecture circuses – substantial introductory courses where a number of different tutors contribute one or more lecture to the series. These lecture-circuses are delibertately envisaged as integrated into the wider structure of the course. Success in achieving this integration is best judged by the students, so detailed comments on the usefulness, structure and omissions of the lecture circus is especially useful. Most lecturers and lecture-course convenors are extremely receptive to any reasoned criticism of the content or style of the courses, and where it is clear that there is a degree of consensus among the respondents, are very likely to modify the structure or assumptions of a course. Please do not regard feedback on courses as a kind of last resort, undertaken only if deeply dissatisfied with a course; a report which is generally positive, but suggests a number of ways that provision might be improved, is of the greatest usefulness to tutors and to the Faculty. You may yourself benefit while still at Oxford from any improvements in Faculty lecturing provision.

Feedback is sought and can be given in three forms:

1. By questionnaires distributed by lecturers or class convenors, for return direct to the lecturer or class convenor (or, in the case of lecture circuses, to the overall convenor of the lectures). Those running classes and lecture courses may well give out the feedback forms in a session towards the end of the course, and allocate 5 minutes for the students to fill them out in situ and to hand them in immediately. Lectures and convenors use these returns for their own information and benefit; they are also asked to make a report on them to the Chair of the Teaching Committee of the Faculty Board. The feedback forms are then deposited in the Faculty Office to be produced if required for external reviews or audits.
2. Questionnaires specifically intended to assist in commenting on large lecture circuses. The Faculty is aware that expecting you to comment at the very end of term on a course made up of as many as 24 lectures, given by a dozen or more individual lecturers, is unlikely to produce a response to more than a handful of lectures that were in your opinion exceptionally successful or unhelpful. Special forms for the main lecture series which provide space for you to comment on individually lecture in a series are available on-line in PDF format. These forms can be downloaded whenever you wish during term, and used used either as a diary, a means to comment on each of the individual lectures in turn, or can be filled out in response to any particular lecture/group of lectures you thought useful, irrelevant or potentially subject to improvement. These forms can be sent either to the convenor of the lecture course or can be posted direct to the Chair of the Teaching Committee, c/o the Faculty office, who will treat all such submissions as anonymous.
   
   
3. By questionnaires available EITHER in the History Faculty building, OR on line as a PDF document. This is a general questionnaire which allows you to comment, over a part or an entire term, on lectures, classes, reading lists, book-provision in libraries and any other issues that students wish to raise about the Faculty’s provision in teaching. (It does NOT include a section on tutorial teaching; this lies within the remit of the individual colleges, and students will have the opportunity to fill out college questionnaires on tutorial teaching, whether this was provided by the college or outside tutors.) On completion, the Faculty questionnaires should be posted direct or delivered to the History Faculty Office. The student has the opportunity to decide whether their comments should be treated as anonymous, and to indicate whether they wish the specific issues raised to be discussed directly with the tutor concerned. These questionnaires may be filled in whether or not you have already filled out the feedback form(s) on particular courses or perhaps missed the chance to do so. This second style of questionnaire may also provide you with the opportunity to comment more generally on the structure and integration of elements in a large teaching structure. You are asked to indicate on the general questionnaire whether you have already filled out a specific form on any one of the aspects of teaching which you are commenting upon – simply to avoid the double-counting of comments.

On receipt of the reports either direct from the students, or in the form of reports from lecturers and class convenors, the Chair of the Teaching Committee will prepare a summary and general report for consideration by both the Teaching Committee and the Joint Undergraduate Consultative Committee.

2. The Undergraduate Historians' Assembly

The President writes: the Undergraduate Historians’ Assembly provides an important role – filling the gap between the history tutors, lecturers and professors, and students. It meets around three times a term, and discuss any issues that are raised by college reps, such as language teaching provision, opening hours of libraries, and attempting to avoid lecture clashes. Issues can be solved directly by talking to individuals, such as the librarians at the History Faculty, or can be taken by reps elected by the assembly to the history JCC. A list of the college representatives to the Assembly is posted at the entrance to the Faculty Library.

In the past the JCC has addressed the problem of expensive prints needed for history options, providing feedback for lecturers, lack of books on certain subjects, and also the underperformance of women in Finals and Prelims. It is also asked by the Faculty to provide feedback on various issues, such as the future development of the tutorial system, and the progression of options that are currently on trial. It also organizes events, such as the freshers’ tea party, and the women’s Finals forum.

The JCC is there to help with any problems with the history course in Oxford, so if you do have any questions or complaints, tell your college rep, and the JCC should be able to help – it has managed to change things in the past.

The current joint presidents of the historians’ Assembly are Jan Indracek, Balliol, and Michael Bimmler, Merton.

3. The Undergraduate Joint Consultative Committee

The Joint Consultative Committee meets termly in Fourth Week. The Faculty Board's standing orders provide that the composition and terms of reference of the Committee are as follows:

Composition:

1. The Chair of the Board (ex officio);
2. five other members of the Board's Teaching Committee, including the Co-ordinator of Undergraduate Studies;
3. six undergraduates elected by a college of electors, known as Assembly, composed of the two members of each college elected annually by the Undergraduates reading Modern History and its Joint Schools at each college;
4. a recent graduate, co-opted by the Committee;
5. short-term co-optations may also be made subject to the Chair's approval, up to a maximum of three junior and three senior members;
6. members of the Assembly may attend the committee for discussion of particular issues, subject to the Chair receiving advance notice.

Terms of reference:

The duties of the committee shall be to consider and make recommendation as necessary upon such matters as the syllabus, teaching arrangements, library facilities, and general aspects of examinations but not appointments, matters having an individual reference to a senior or junior member, or to the University's administrative and technical officers, and long-term financial questions. The Undergraduate JCC shall receive the reports of the External Examiners (subject to the deletion of any identifiable reference to individuals and subject to the External Examiners not specifically stipulating otherwise);

No recommendation of the committee shall be rejected without the junior members being given an opportunity for discussion with the Faculty Board.

Elections to assembly shall be organized within each college by the retiring representatives in consultation with the president of the JCR or a person delegated by him or her.

In addition Modern History and Politics has its own Joint Consultative Committe to address issues specifically to do with the Joint School

4. Student Complaint Procedures

1. Complaints about Faculty-organized teaching

1. The Faculty provides questionnaires on lectures and class teaching that can be filled in and posted in the box outside the library. Comments will all be read by the Chairman of the Teaching Committee and action taken where appropriate. Questionnaires can also be downloaded as a PDF document (see section 1 above).
2. If complaints are pressing, or not readily contained within the form, undergraduates should normally consult their college tutor(s), asking them to raise the concerns with the Chairman of the Faculty's Teaching Committee.
3. In the rare event that neither of the above procedures proves sufficient or appropriate, undergraduates should write directly to the Chairman of the Teaching Committee, no later than Monday of First Week in the term following the class or lecture concerned, informing their college tutor that they have done so.
4. The Chairman of the Teaching Committee will address student complaints under 3 formally. The postholder(s) involved will be contacted and asked for a response in writing to the issues raised. The documents will also be taken to the next Teaching Committee.
5. Both the complainant and the postholder(s) will receive written reports on the action recommended by Teaching Committee.
6. If the complainant still considers that a complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily at faculty level, he or she can write or ask for an appointment with the Proctors or Assessor of the University, who act as independent ‘ombudsmen’. Contact the Clerk to the Proctors, or refer to the Proctors’ website for advice on procedures.

2. Complaints about college teaching

Complaints about teaching provided through your College should be referred first to your College Tutor; or directly to the Senior Tutor of your College. Your college may have a published complaints procedure; help and advice in any case can be obtained from your JCR or college SU representatives.

3. Complaints about examination matters

Extract from the Proctors’ and Assessor’s Memorandum, 2004–5; if you have a complaint about procedures not being followed during an examination, or if you have reason to believe that your examination was not conducted fairly, or that your examiners were not aware of some special circumstances affecting your performance, you should consult urgently the appropriate college officer, usually the Senior Tutor. You will then be advised how to go about a formal complaint to the Proctors who, if they consider that a case exists, will investigate the matter. Complaints should be made as soon as possible after the papers have been sat (preferably within one month, and not more than six months). More details of these complaints procedures can be found on the Proctors’ website.

4. Complaints about Equal Opportunities

Appendix A of the Proctors’ and Assessor’s Memorandum sets out the University's Equal Opportunities Statement: Students. The History Faculty subscribes to this policy. If you feel during the course of your studies you have not been treated according to this policy, you may use the student complaints procedure and should, in the first instance, lodge your complaint with the Proctors, who will advise on the procedure to be followed thereafter.

3. Harassment

In common with other universities, Oxford regards harassment as unacceptable behaviour and has introduced a Code of Practice designed to protect its students, staff and other people for whom it has a special responsibility. For purposes of this Code, harassment is regarded as unwarranted behaviour which disrupts the work or reduces the quality of life of another person. Such harassment could involve a single act or a series of acts of bullying, verbal or physical abuse, ill-treatment, unwelcome sexual advances; or otherwise creating or maintaining a hostile studying, working or social environment.

The University’s Code of Practice Relating to Harassment is reproduced in Appendix B of The Proctors’ and Assessor’s Memorandum and is formally drawn to the attention of student members of the University.

The Proctors appoint Senior Members to a University Advisory Panel on harassment. As explained in the Code, these advisers may be approached by any student or member of staff in the University suffering from harassment, as defined in the Code. The Panel has also prepared a pamphlet, Harassment: what it is and how you can deal with it. Copies are available from the Proctors’ Office, or from JCR Welfare Officers, or OUSU. Some colleges have appointed special advisers or advisory panels to respond to complaints of harassment. If your college has no special arrangements, people you might approach within college could include the dean, tutor for women, or chaplain.

Contact numbers:
The Proctors’ Office	telephone: (2)70090
Advisory Panel on Harassment	telephone: (2)70760

The History Faculty operates the University’s Code of Practice Relating to Harassment. Undergraduates who feel that they have been subject to harassment in a Faculty context may wish to contact one or other of the Faculty Advisers.

The History Faculty advisers for the academic year 2010-11 are:

• Dr Senia Paseta, St Hugh’s telephone: (2)74952
• Dr Matthew Grimley, Merton telephone: (2) 76346

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