Massey increases support for Albany students over lengthy lockdown
No minimum grades on individual assessment items and no compulsory assessment items are among “a number of supports” Massey has in place for students challenged by another long lockdown.
A Massey spokesperson said these conditions will be in place unless they are specifically required standards by a professional body, and students will still be expected to pass their course (sorry BCom students).
“We recognise COVID-19 has impacted nearly every component of daily life and will mark assessments this semester accordingly,” the spokesperson said.
The Impaired Performance/Aegrotat process is also making a return from last year’s lockdown. “We are using the Impaired Performance/Aegrotat process as this is more accurate and equitable than a so-called grade bump,” Massey says.
Some students are unhappy about the lack of a grade bump, saying they find the impaired performance process “unclear”. One said, “Like supposedly they mark your work less harshly, but there’s no solid system between professor to professor. I’d rather just have a bump of a percentage of 5% or something, like what my mates at Otago and Auckland had last year.” Last year, 3,446 students signed a petition asking for Massey to give students a 5% grade bump, to no success. Last year, Auckland spent 33 days in Level 4. At the time of publishing, Auckland will have surpassed that number this year, but yet support remains “lacking” for students academically.
Meanwhile, the fees freeze for students in residential halls who had returned home over lockdown was lifted on the Manawatū and Wellington campuses on September 9 for Level 2, the Massey spokesperson says that it is still in place for Albany halls until a reduction in Auckland’s alert level.
“The halls all have required protocols in place to make sure residents are safe and well cared for. We encourage residents to speak with a halls staff member about their specific circumstances if they are considering permanently relocating.”