Monday, January 21, 2013

Moshe Y. Admon

ma183@student.london.ac.uk
Professor Jenny Hamilton Director of Undergraduate Laws Programme jenny.hamilton@london.ac.uk

Dear Professor Hamilton,

As you are well aware, for the past two years I have been continually requesting via my correspondence with you that the University of London International Programmes increase its openness and transparency in grading final exam papers in the LL.B. program. In the past months I have had frequent discussions with numerous students about this issue and discovered a latent anger among many pertaining to the Universitys lack of openness in its grading policies. Since only minimal changes have been made by the University in response to my requests, I decided that in the spirit of openness I would publicize my opinions regarding this issue for my fellow students to comment and criticize upon. I took the personal initiative and time to make the website www.llbstudentvoice.org and the linked petition goo.gl/xF4MC which have till now received wide student support in the two weeks since publication, with the petition garnering 70 votes. I have received many additional emails from students stating their support for my cause, but expressing unwillingness to broadcast their opinions for fear of retribution by the University in marking their exams, a fear which I feel is unfounded but understandable, and emanates from the lack of openness and transparency in grading. I even addressed this issue in the video http://www.llbstudentvoice.org/news.html. As stated in my letter entitled Appeal to Openness (http://www.llbstudentvoice.org/appeal-for-openness.html), I and many of my fellow students are very satisfied with the substantial quality of the program, take pride in its rigors, and take pride in being students of the University. Yet, in the most critical part of our studies, the three hour final exams per subject which are the only measure for our annual scholastic performance, the University provides us zero feedback regarding how these grades were marked and awarded by examiners, leaving us completely in the dark regarding where we went wrong, and how to improve our scholastic achievements in the subsequent year/s. As well, from the information posted on my blog from fellow students, it seems as though examiner markings are completely subjective, and there is no benchmark upon which papers are graded. As an example, one student posts my answers in Trust (law exam) were broadly similar, and I got a 66. Additionally, although examiner reports are made available, albeit typically in the months of January/February, nearly 3 months prior to exams, these reports are very deficient.

As you are aware, the 2013 exams are only three months away. For the sake of improving our education and providing us with the necessary information to collectively improve our marks, I ask, as do 70 others who signed the petition attached, to please make the changes requested in the petition as soon as possible and prior to our upcoming exams. By doing so, you will not only better our learning, but you will greatly improve overall student satisfaction and the quality of the University of London International Programmes as a whole. Please feel free to forward this email to anyone necessary, and please note that in the spirit of openness this letter and all responses to it will be posted on my website and additional online student forums for discussion. I greatly appreciate your continuous attention to my requests and eagerly and respectfully await your response. Sincerely Yours,

Moshe Y. Admon, B.Sc., B.A. LL.B. Candidate 2013 ma183@student.london.ac.uk (918) 851-2007

To: University of London International Programmes LL.B. (Laws) Program: Create Openness and Transparency in Grading Standards and Policies

LL.B. Students at the University of London International Programmes are graded for a years worth of intense and difficult work on the results of a single three hour exam per subject. The result per exams determine our annual grades, represents our scholastic abilities, and stay with us for life affecting our future employability and / or any future academic endeavors. Due to the weight and importance of these exams and the amount of hard work they represent, in the spirit of justice, the University of London International Programmes should be open and transparent regarding the Grading Standards and Policies of its LL.B. students, and make the following changes as spelled out on the website WWW.LLBSTUDENTVOICE.ORG BEFORE THE 2013 EXAMS:

1. The University must publicize its grading standards and procedures per subject. The current assessment criteria provided by the University is much too general and lacking in specifics to guide us how to approach our studies and attain high marks. 2. The University must require examiners to mark student exams with notes and explanations, engaging students as to why points were awarded / deducted, and these marked exam papers with the final grade must be scanned and emailed to each student. Each student that has paid an annual fee, spent a year studying, and took multiple 3 hour hand written exams is initialed to receive copies of the exams with the specific rationalization for their grades. For this service, the University has a right to charge a reasonable fee, which I am certain every student will be happy to pay. This will give much needed personal feedback (since we currently have none) and help engage students so they can improve their future scholastic performance and will enhance the learning environment as a whole. Additionally, returning marked exams will provide unquestionable evidence that our grading is objective and in compliance with the University grading standards, and will ease the current doubts which plague the current grading methodology. 3. In the spirit of student engagement, the University must allow students who feel their grades were unjustified to appeal for academic review (not just an administrative review for which the University currently charges 50) to a third party examiner, who will grade the answers thoroughly with explanations in the side notes, and this should be scanned and emailed to the student. The University must take this regarding into account in considering the students final exam marks. 4. The examiner reports provided by the University are the only feedback provided by the University on how exams are marked, and the only document provided to us specifically guiding us how to properly answer exam questions. The current examiner reports are overly-general and very lacking, and in no way give complete examples and instructions regarding how to achieve high marks. The University must publish anonymized 1:1 exam answers in full, for the edification of all its students and the advancement of legal education among its students. Anything less denies us the ability to learn how to properly answer examination questions, denies us the ability to improve through our scholastic development, and is a disservice to our growth as future lawyers.

5. Detailed annual examiner reports and anonymized 1:1 scripts must be published by the University in a timely manner. Currently, examiner reports are released in mid-January and later, which leaves a relatively short span of time for students to familiarize themselves with the reports and revise for annual exams which typically start in the month of May. A fortiori students who did not pass their first set of exam/s are scheduled to re-sit in October of each year, and currently have NO examiner reports to refer to on the exams they sat and did not pass. These students who did not pass and need the most guidance are completely denied this most basic right, and are unable to know where they were mistaken in their scripts. This policy is wholly unjust to the weakest of students, and must be rectified hastily. 6. The University must once and for all allow External students to sit on the Student Council to advocate for our own group interests. We the External non-UK students still have no say regarding policies that affect us. In todays modern era, with the advent of online virtual environments, this would not be difficult to implement. 7. The materials provided by the University (subject guides which form the basis of our studies) are outdated for certain subjects. Since law is an evolving subject, these materials must be updated annually.

Sincerely Yours, Moshe (Jeff) Admon, B.Sc., B.A. LL.B. Candidate 2013, University of London International Programmes ma183@student.london.ac.uk

LLBSTUDENTVOICE.ORG

To: Subject: Letter:

University of London International Programmes LL.B. (Laws) Program Create Openness and Transparency in Grading Standards and Policies Greetings, Create Openness and Transparency in Grading Standards and Policies

Signatures
Name Jeff Admon Piret Alver Waqas Masood Caroline Pilling hannah lamont Derek Ong Mary-Anne Ropian Lechoe Francis Flaherty Amaan Khan Stephanie Manuel donna xu Yashika Hurill Kavina Ramdoyal Hurill Kumrita Payet Ashley Hurill Seewan yashmira bhagoo Kinsley Bhagoo ilesh babbea Concerned Citizen Andrew Alton IAN LAMONT Mahesh Nanwani Vinay Kumar Yadav Chris Kahn Chiun Min Seah yow sang christian ishneha rutna shan pittasoambloo Sandy Warawa Location , United States Helsinki, Finland Lahore, Pakistan Paso Robles, CA, United States delhi, NY, United States Singapore, Singapore Nairobi, Kenya Bucharest, Romania Mumbai, India Moka, Mauritius Cambridge, MA, United States Curepipe, Mauritius Vacoas, Mauritius Curepope, Mauritius Riche-Terre, Mauritius Curepipe, Mauritius moka, Mauritius Moka., Mauritius moka, Mauritius New City, NY, United States Victoria, Canada DELHI, NY, United States HKSAR, Hong Kong Dallas, TX, United States Collingswood, NJ, United States Penang, Malaysia vacoas, Mauritius moka, Mauritius curepipe, Mauritius Edmonton, Canada Date 2013-01-06 2013-01-06 2013-01-06 2013-01-06 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-07 2013-01-08 2013-01-08 2013-01-08 2013-01-09 2013-01-09 2013-01-09 2013-01-09 2013-01-09 2013-01-09 2013-01-09

Name Nour Sidawi Bhanda Parbatee Paryag Hemsikka Abrar Bhatti Ashley Choo Muhammad Hasan Akber Nha Awmee Olga Childs Frank Alfano Mevz Meviin ds munjeetabye purusram Laura Saxon hasan parvez Kadeen Fearon Mian Zargham Ataullah Estuardo Diaz PTYZ Adrian Tanzil Ur Rehman Glory Clibbery Bhariteesingh Beeharree Aizaz Ahsan Tamanna Tabassum Elmer Centeno Mashaal Irfan Lisa Rech Christopher Schmerbeck Kalainilaa Kalaiyarasu raevathi supramaniam Jayavaruman Subramaniam Richard Parchment Sharon Thomas

Location Dammam, Saudi Arabia Chamouny, Mauritius Venice, Italy Rawalpindi, Pakistan Puchong, Malaysia Karachi, Pakistan Curepipe, Mauritius staten island, NY, United States Hamilton, Canada Port Louis, Mauritius Pamplemousses, Mauritius montagne blanche, Mauritius morriston, FL, United States Dhaka,Uttara, Bangladesh Brooklyn, NY, United States Lahore, Pakistan Stockholm, Sweden Kuala Kumpur, Malaysia Multan, Pakistan London, MN, United States Grand Port, Mauritius Lahore, Pakistan Dhanmondi,Dhaka, Bangladesh Richmond, VA, United States Islamabad, Pakistan Germany Passau, Germany Ipoh, Malaysia Kluang, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tortola, Virgin Islands, British Bridgetown, Barbados

Date 2013-01-09 2013-01-09 2013-01-09 2013-01-10 2013-01-10 2013-01-10 2013-01-10 2013-01-10 2013-01-11 2013-01-11 2013-01-11 2013-01-11 2013-01-11 2013-01-11 2013-01-12 2013-01-12 2013-01-12 2013-01-12 2013-01-12 2013-01-12 2013-01-12 2013-01-12 2013-01-13 2013-01-13 2013-01-14 2013-01-15 2013-01-15 2013-01-16 2013-01-16 2013-01-16 2013-01-16 2013-01-16

Name Ahmad Raimi Janessa Lim Zalikha Abd Rhahman tracy hwang Daniel Tan Lim Wai Ming Fiaza K Mugera Twenty-thirteen

Location Subang Jaya, Malaysia PETALING JAYA, Malaysia Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

Date 2013-01-17 2013-01-17 2013-01-17

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, United Kingdom 2013-01-17 Shah Alam, Malaysia Taman Mayang Jaya, Malaysia Islamabad, Pakistan damansara, Malaysia 2013-01-18 2013-01-18 2013-01-19 2013-01-20

Supporters: Reasons for signing

Mugera Twenty-thirteen DAMANSARA, MALAYSIA about 20 hours ago am part of the llb environment thats y Ariel Sharon LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM 6 days ago Human Rights and Double Standards! Tamanna Tabassum DHANMONDI,DHAKA, BANGLADESH 8 days ago cause I want to know where is my weakness and on which side I have to work more. Bhariteesingh Beeharree GRAND PORT, MAURITIUS 9 days ago It will be highly useful to the students especially to understand where they are going wrong. Estuardo Diaz STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 9 days ago So, I can know why I failed, not to repeat the same mistakes again, and know the reasons why I pass and improve my grades. Kadeen Fearon BROOKLYN, NY 9 days ago So that I can capitlise on mistake in past exams using them as guidance in achieving higher marks in future exams with UOL Muhammad Hasan Akber KARACHI, PAKISTAN 11 days ago Transparency is a fundamental right Andrew Alton WOLFVILLE, CANADA 13 days ago To petition for access to individual exam reports for external students who have no tutor access and would be willing to pay extra for a personalized exam performance report. Payet Ashley RICHE-TERRE, MAURITIUS 14 days ago I'm in this thing too donna xu CAMBRIDGE, MA 14 days ago We need transparency! Francis Flaherty BUCHAREST, ROMANIA 14 days ago I have to say that I agree with most of the points raised on this website. There is no pedagogical benefit to students for exams if no feedback is given, either individually or by publishing first class answers. Without feedback 'students' are condemned to never learning the error of their ways or appreciating why they have done well. They can merely stumble forward in the dark. Currently exams are purely assessments of a student's ability or lack thereof. If the University of London International Programmes really want to educate students rather than just certifying their ability they will take heed of the suggestions made in this website. Mary-Anne Ropian Lechoe NAIROBI, KENYA 14 days ago because i need to know where i went wrong in my answering the questions. Piret Alver HELSINKI, FINLAND 14 days ago Create Openness and Transparency in Grading Standards and Policies
https://www.change.org/petitions/university-of-london-international-programmes-ll-b-laws-program-createopenness-and-transparency-in-grading-standards-and-policies