Recommendations
No Unpaid Marking The report shows that all too often PhDs are expected to do work that they are not paid for. This includes the marking of formative assessments and exams. The authors of this report believe that quality feedback given to students is an essential part of their education, and so it deserves to be valued. Expecting PhDs to do this work without payment impacts on the time they can afford to give, and so impacts on the quality of feedback. Both students and examiners deserve better.
No Unpaid Office Hours Our survey shows that PhDs are willing and passionate about helping students develop their knowledge and academic skills. One important part
of
this
development
comes
from
one-on-one
feedback
sessions. This is a valuable service, and one PhDs are willing to provide, but the university must also acknowledge the value of this work.
Payment for marking that acknowledges the time it takes to mark effectively Currently, payment for marking is based on the assumption that it should take no more than 20 minutes to mark, and provide feedback. The data from our survey conclusively show that this is a false assumption, with 78% claiming it takes longer than 20 minutes. As fair marking, and quality feedback are the least our students deserve we recommend that this discrepancy must be acknowledged. Continuing with the status quo
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