I have been asked to sit on the Academic Progress Committee (APC) as the student representative again. This means that when I come back from Tasmania, I get to listen to excluded engineering students pleading to be allowed back into the course. The Faculty secretary sounded so relieved to find a volunteer for this three day chore. They think I’m doing them a favour but honestly, I really enjoy listening to student tragedies and sob stories.
At my uni, an engineering student is automatically excluded if he or she fails at least 50% of their subjects or fails a subject three times. The student is given the chance to appeal to the APC, bringing forth documentation, sorrowful eyes and trembling lips to prove their case.
I first sat on the APC last year. I don’t know how I was chosen. I’m part of a panel of three people, including Heads of Departments and the Dean of Engineering. You may be surprised to hear this, but the Committee is quite soft. We accept almost any story that sounds reasonable and can be substantiated. Last year, I listened to cases involving:
- A rural student who was too poor to afford a computer or printer;
- An international student from China who became a single mother and had to give up her baby;
- A student with a suicidal father;
- A student who found out he was adopted and spent the year searching for his birth mother (he found her in Turkey); and
- A final year student who had failed the very last subject he needed to graduate.
And then there were some students who said, “Yeah, sorry, I failed. I feel really bad. I’ll do better next time.” No other justifications.
Our exclusion rate is about one in five, so if you appeal, your chances of being allowed back in are quite good. Our rules of thumb are:
- Don’t exclude first years.
- Allow final year students to finish their degree.
- Be softer on first time offenders. Exclude anyone showing up for the second time.
- If their academic record shows they are barely passing, uphold their exclusion. They shouldn’t waste their time in a course obviously not suited to them.
- Think very carefully before excluding international students. They’ve spent a lot of money on this degree. (Believe it or not, we care about the value of money to them, rather than the money they are paying the university.)
From sitting on this panel, I can tell which of the engineering disciplines are the most difficult. There are hardly ever any civil or environmental engineers. Most flunking students come from mechanical or electrical engineering.
Sometimes, I look at all these marginal students and cringe. At the rate they’re bumbling along, most of them will graduate eventually. Who would want to hire these people, with their academic records littered with 45s, 52s and even zeroes? It seems like they pass just by chance. How can the uni award the Bachelor of Engineering to these half-baked students?
I sometimes think that by letting these students graduate, I damage the reputation of my own degree.
I’m off to Tasmania for a week. Blog you all soon!
Electrical engineering is one of the most difficult engineering disciplines. Many people claim that it IS the hardest course to study. There is a shortage of electrical engineers because
1) Not many people are interested in studying electrical engineering
2) Only 50% successfully graduated. Most of the students, who didn’t make it, drop out during the second and third year.
3) Not everyone becomes an electrical engineer after they graduated (probably 60% out of the 50%)
4) About 1% of those who do make it and become an electrical engineer, die on the job!
Note: Statistic acts only as a rough guide and purely based on belle’s personal perception.
Posted by belle
Quote:”I sometimes think that by letting these students graduate, I damage the reputation of my own degree.”
LOL. But i believe that degree is categorised into classes, e.g. 1st, 2nd upper, etc. At least it’s not so bad if the borderline students are given chance to grad but with 3rd class/lower degree. It’s kinda cruel to terminate some1 who has been studying for years and in the end jst discovered that they aren’t qualify to grad. hence, its important to screen out the students’ suitability to the course at the very early stage.
btw, after the APC has approved the students’ plea, do they need to repeat the academic year or they just proceed to the next level/graduate?
nk
Posted by Anonymous
Wow Joan, I had no idea you held such power. You can get students’ parents very angry at them by sending them home permanently. All fear Joan!
It does not surprise me that electrical engineering has a high drop-out rate. At my uni, electrical engineering overlaps with my own course for just about all of the mathematical subjects, which range from about medium to high difficulty. Not being a genius, the only way I survive in my course is because all the IT units are incredibly easy. But the poor electrical engineers don’t seem to get a single break – all of their units seem really tough. Not to mention that they have 6 hour long practicals to deal with!
Posted by rohan
Joan… *I* get 40%-low 50% all the time, do you reckon anyone will want to employ me?
My excuses… well…
1) I discovered I was adopted when I was 18 (technically before I started uni, does that count?)
2) I represent Australia and Hong Kong in international speed skating competitions including world championships and have to spend alot of time training for them
3) I also do Archery, Ballet and sit on the committees of Amnesty International, Eltham Roller Skating Club and the Melbourne University Maths and Stats Society
4) I occasionally organise the odd comedy night
5) I’m lazy
oh, and I’ve fronted up to the “board of unsatisfactory progress” (as it is at melbourne) on one previous occasion
did I get excluded?
Posted by Daniel