E.1 Overview of sources of advice and support
E.2 Opportunities for student feedback
E.3 Complaints and appeals procedures

E.1 Overview of sources of advice and support

E.2 Opportunities for student feedback

The Director of Graduate Studies will be pleased to hear any feedback or comments you have about your experience of being a graduate student with the Modern History Faculty. Verbal, informal feedback is always welcome; more formalised feedback can be provided through:

Questionnaires on Faculty teaching

Questionnaires to provide feedback on lectures and classes are available from the Modern History Faculty Library, where they may also be deposited, or the forms can be downloaded as PDF file from the Faculty's website. Questionnaires are also often handed out by lecturers at the end of lecture series, and students are encouraged to complete these and hand them to the lecturer before leaving the lecture room.

The Graduate Joint Consultative Committee

This Committee is intended to give graduate students an opportunity to contribute to the smooth running of graduate affairs, to raise points of grievance, suggest improvements, etc. See section D.4 Committee structures for details.

Self-report form

The Graduate Studies Committee is under obligation to public bodies to monitor the progress of research students which are registered under the Faculty of Modern History. It is naturally also in the interest of all its students if they are enabled, encouraged and supported in their task of completing their research thesis without significant delay. To that purpose, research students are expected to complete a report on their progress at the end of Hilary Term in their second year, usually the year after they have transferred to full M.Litt. or D.Phil. status. It is intended that this exercise should help students take stock of their progress at a median point in their research programmes. This also provides an opportunity for students to identify ways in which they think the Faculty might help them achieve their goals. The report will be placed on the student's file, and a copy will be sent to your College. The report allows students to supplement the report submitted each term by their supervisors.

Copies of the self-report form can again be accessed through Section J. Forms. 

Teaching experience

Graduates who are involved in teaching undergraduates under the guidance of a member of the Faculty are asked to provide feedback on their experience on a report form which is available on-line, and which will be included in their student profile after it has been evaluated by their mentor.

The form is designed in such a way that it can be completed as an electronic document which you can save to your own disk. Your saved copy can then be forwarded to your mentor for completion as an e-mail attachment for completion. The form can be found in Section J. Forms. 

E.3 Complaints and appeal procedures

1.Preface

1.1 The History Faculty reminds all students that a) informal resolution of a concern is an option at all stages of the complaints procedures; and b) they are entitled to take a concern to the Proctors at any stage of the procedures if they wish to do so.

1.2 Every effort will be made to ensure that all complaints from students are treated seriously, positively and constructively.

1.3. The History Faculty will also seek to ensure that complaints are dealt with in a reasonable time, with fairness and consistency, and taking account of relevant University policies.

1.4 Complainants will not be disadvantaged or suffer any recrimination as a result of making a complaint in good faith.

1.5 Every effort will be made to ensure that complaints are treated with appropriate confidentiality and that the privacy of the complainant and any individual against whom a complaint is made is respected. Where it is necessary, in the course of attempting to deal with a complaint, to disclose information to others, then the parties concerned will be informed of such a disclosure.

1.6. Where students wish to have impartial help and advice about the possibility of making a complaint, then they should contact their college Tutor for Graduates (Senior Tutor in graduate colleges) or their college advisor, their Course Convenor or Interviewer, the Director of Graduate Studies in the History Faculty, relevant officers of OUSU, or staff in the Graduate Studies Office.

2. Informal resolution of complaints

2.1 Informal means can resolve the majority of complaints. If the complaint is with an individual, then the complaint should, if at all possible, first be raised with the individual concerned, either orally or in writing, making clear the remedy that is sought.

2.2. The complaint should normally be made within one month of the action (or lack of action) that has occasioned the complaint.

2.3. The person with whom the complaint has been raised should normally respond within two weeks, or if this is not possible, provide a reason for any delay and the likely timescale for response.

2.4 If making or responding to the complaint requires face-to-face contact between the complainant and the person with whom the complaint has been raised, then both shall be entitled to be accompanied by a friend or colleague or other member of the University.

2.5. If the person with whom a complaint has been raised rejects a complaint, they must give their reason for doing so.

3. Formal resolution of complaints

3.1 If an individual feels unable to approach the person with whom they have a complaint, or is dissatisfied with the response that they have received to their efforts at informal resolution, they should submit a written complaint, within three months of the original concern, to the Course Convenor or Interviewer responsible for the course or programme concerned.

3.2. If the Course Convenor or Interviewer is the subject of the complaint, then the written complaint should be made to the Director of Graduate Studies who may depute the investigation of the complaint to another appropriate member of the Modern History Faculty.

3.3 If the Director of Graduate Studies is the subject of the complaint, then the written complaint should be made to the Chair of the Faculty Board who may depute the investigation of the complaint to another appropriate member of the Modern History Faculty.

3.4 The written complaint should set out briefly:

• the nature of the complaint and the remedy sought ;
• any informal steps already taken;
• the response given to the complaint;
• reasons for continuing dissatisfaction;
• the remedy which is now sought.

3.5. The officer or other individual to whom the complaint has been directed for investigation shall submit a written response to the complainant normally within three weeks of the complaint, or if this is not possible, provide a reason for any delay and the likely timescale for response.

3.6. If the investigation requires face-to-face contact between the complainant and the person with whom the complaint has been raised, then both shall be entitled to be accompanied by a friend or colleague or other member of the University.

3.7. Whatever the outcome of the investigation of the complaint, the reasons for the decision must be stated in writing to the complainant and to the person with whom the complaint has been raised. If a complaint has not been upheld, then a complainant should be reminded of their right to take a concern to the Proctors.

For details of how to make a complaint at University level via the Proctors' office, please contact the Clerk to the Proctors , or refer to the Proctors' website at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/proctors/ for advice on procedures.

4. Monitoring of complaints

4.1. The Faculty will monitor, on an annual basis, all complaints which have been referred to them, and will be responsible for assessing whether changes are needed to relevant procedural and other arrangements in the light of the complaints received.
4.2 The Faculty will report the outcome of their monitoring of complaints annually to the responsible Division, which will in turn report to the University's Educational Policy and Standards Committee.

Complaints about examination matters

Complaints about the conduct of University examinations (sometimes called 'academic appeals') do not follow the Faculty's internal complaints procedure, and students are reminded that they must not contact their examiners direct with queries or complaints.

Taught-course students should discuss their concerns with a college officer (e.g., Senior Tutor) who can then forward them to the Proctors.

Research students should write direct to the Proctors at the Proctors' Office, University Offices, Wellington Square, OX1 2JD.

Extract from the Proctors' and Assessor's Memorandum, 2003-2004:

If you have a complaint about procedures not being correctly 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 (or supervisor in the case of research students). You will then be advised how to go about making a formal complaint to the Proctors who, if they consider that a prima facie case exists, will investigate the matter. Complaints relating to taught-course examinations should be made as soon as possible after the papers have been sat (preferably within one month, and not more than six months). Complaints relating to the conduct of examinations for research degrees must be made within twelve months. Research students should note that the Proctors will not consider complaints relating to aspects of candidates' supervision if such complaints are made after submission of the thesis. (Concerns about supervision should be discussed at an early stage with the supervisor, college adviser or departmental adviser, before referring to the Proctors). The Proctors are not empowered to consider appeals against the academic judgement of the examiners, only complaints about the conduct of examinations.