date: Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:02:02 +0100 from: Phil Jones subject: Re: FW: Complaint attached to: "Vincent Chris Prof \(ENV\)" , "White Carrie Mrs \(ACAD\)" , "Briffa Keith Prof \(ENV\)" , "Hiscock Kevin Dr \(ENV\)" Dear All, Here's my thoughts on the complaint. 1. We need to get our stories straight for when Chris meet the students on the 18th. Is a meeting worthwhile next week? 2. The whole issue highlights the needs for someone to be in charge of the course in the future, so I hope the bid to ET is successful this time and someone will be in place from September. We all have lots of other things we're doing and commitments to many projects etc. Also the new person ought to sit in on most of the lectures within 535 and 594 to know what was said in parts they won't be giving. 3. In hindsight, this whole issue should and could have been handled better. We now need to sort things out and try and nip the complaint in the bud. I had hoped this had happened when Keith met a few of the students on April 20. Clearly this wasn't enough. Maybe we all thought that it was, but some of the other issues have kept things simmering in the student's minds. We don't want these complaints to appear on a web site, even though it won't affect the coming year's intake, as many have already accepted. 4. We all knew Dave was leaving by early February, so we should have all been fully aware of might happen. Dave may have said some things to the students and stirred them up a little, but we probably assumed his heart was in this up to when he left and it clearly wasn't. 5. The ET should take some responsibility for the problems, when they denied us a replacement for Dave earlier this year. 6. As many of the students are paying real money for the course, we need to ensure this is handled well from now on, and that it doesn't happen again in subsequent years. Now some specific thoughts on some aspects: Half Day on IPCC/Tyndall This is a good idea, but refers mainly to WG2/3 of IPCC and Tyndall. Something like the session we organized in CRU on Feb 20, which was attended by many within ENV. Through this the MSc group did get the latest information from WG1. This would need to be arranged by Mike Hulme and/or Neil Adger (and others), as this material is partly beyond the expertise we have in CRU. The subject is a lot more than Climate Change Science now. Lecture Programme Anita Wreford delivered two 1-hr lectures (one on Stern), so I've been told. M535 did include material from AR4 (WG1) for some areas. We did give the afternoon talks on Feb 20 as well. We weren't allowed to use any diagrams from WG1 until after the SPM was out on Feb 2. So, it was impossible for Dave to have used material from the SPMs of WG2 and WG3 as their press conferences weren't until Good Friday and early May. Cancellations of Lectures This is news to me. I was away a lot Feb to May though. Students getting marks back I put mine in a place outside my office when I get them. When I'm away this doesn't happen as quickly, so is the present system of sending these back through the advisors the best way of returning work? At present these get put into the pigeonholes in the KC room. Sylvia (our secretary) checks these every morning. Markers often tell students they have been put in pigeonholes, and they expect them immediately. I've occasionally had to go to the KC room to get them, so they can find out marks. I can't do this when away. Coursework Marking I didn't set any, so am unaware of these issues. I would have thought that marking should be standard and should include both a clear demonstration of absorption of the taught material and some assessment of the literature. Sometimes the coursework should be on material that isn't taught. Web Site I didn't realise that we had a page with the student details. Communication This seem to be the main gripe, and we clearly have to do better here. Getting everyone together though is difficult as we all know. Lectures after Easter I was aware that these were to take place. I tried to find out who was giving these, but was unsuccessful. I was not aware Anita Wreford was asked, or when she was due to give them or what the content was. When I left this with you Chris, I thought you would arrange this. We talked about John Turnpenny? I contacted John and found out he'd said no, but had no idea about Anita. Field Trip I only heard afterwards (as I was away) that only Dave went on this. Future 535 did give the students up-to-date climate science. 594 does clearly need to cover more on WG2/3 science. It will with Mike running it next year. The complaint only refers to 594. Finally Although stated at the beginning, only a very small subset of these matters have been addressed to me. I wasn't sent the complaint by Joanna Vincent, for example. I have never talked with Vicky Ingram. I did get the email on Feb 22. The meeting was held when I was away. Cheers Phil At 16:50 07/06/2007, Vincent Chris Prof \(ENV\) wrote: >Hi everyone > >Could you have a look at the attached? I believe I'm being thrown to the >wolves on Monday 18 June so I appreciated your help in this matter. > >Some of the points the MSc students raise here are new to me, are they >new to you? Is what they say correct? - I don't want to nit-pick but I >need to know where the inaccuracies are, and where the exaggerations are >(e.g. they talk about one lecture from Anna Wretford whereas I thought >she gave two?) > >- I'd be most grateful if you could print out the attached and scrawl >your comments on it! > >The MSc students have had a raw deal on M594 so I wonder if we could >organise a couple of days of seminars (timing might be a problem) to >cover some of the aspects of the Unit that were missed? I'd rather try >to ensure they got up-to-date relevant material, and therefore a >complete course, than went away without that information? I'd like to >have a 'solution' to the problem to present to them! > >Many Thanks > >Chris > > >Professor Chris Vincent >Head of School >School of Environmental Sciences >University of East Anglia >Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK >Phone (+44) (0) 1603 592 836 >Fax (+44) (0) 1603 593 792 >http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/coastal/Staff.htm > >-----Original Message----- >From: Vincent Jo Mrs (ACAD) >Sent: 06 June 2007 15:06 >To: White Carrie Mrs (ACAD); Vincent Chris Prof (ENV) >Cc: Bezants Karen Mrs (SCI); Willis Sarah-Jane Mrs (SCI) >Subject: FW: Complaint attached > >Dear Both >Attached is a copy of the complaint from the MSc students on ENV-M594 >Climate Change. >Peter Belton is dealing with it at faculty level as the HoS ENV is named >in the complaint. >A meeting with Peter and the students is being arranged - date tbc >Karen Bezants is collating various items of information about the unit >and course and might need to ask Carrie for help in finding things. >I would expect that Peter will also want to meet with relevant ENV >faculty too. >Thanks >Jo > > >Joanna Vincent >Faculty Manager >Science Faculty Teaching Office >University of East Anglia >Norwich >NR4 7TJ >UK >Tel 01603 592254 >email jo.vincent@uea.ac.uk > > Prof. Phil Jones Climatic Research Unit Telephone +44 (0) 1603 592090 School of Environmental Sciences Fax +44 (0) 1603 507784 University of East Anglia Norwich Email p.jones@uea.ac.uk NR4 7TJ UK ----------------------------------------------------------------------------