Durham UCU
@ducu.bsky.social
And lastly, it's *also* not fair on students whose English skills are at the level necessary for full engagement. Peer learning inevitably suffers. Group activities become more difficult. Time spent on trying to help students with their language is time *not* spent on other elements of the course.
November 9, 2025 at 11:00 AM
And lastly, it's *also* not fair on students whose English skills are at the level necessary for full engagement. Peer learning inevitably suffers. Group activities become more difficult. Time spent on trying to help students with their language is time *not* spent on other elements of the course.
It's soul-destroying watching students get more and more frustrated and disillusioned with a module, because you simply can't find a way to express the concepts you need to get across in language they find accessible.
November 9, 2025 at 10:49 AM
It's soul-destroying watching students get more and more frustrated and disillusioned with a module, because you simply can't find a way to express the concepts you need to get across in language they find accessible.
It's so horribly unfair to these students, who travel half the world to study on courses they learn too late simply don't cater for them. It's also unfair to those teaching on those courses, who desperately *want* to cater to those students, but have no resources or training to meaningfully do so.
November 9, 2025 at 10:45 AM
It's so horribly unfair to these students, who travel half the world to study on courses they learn too late simply don't cater for them. It's also unfair to those teaching on those courses, who desperately *want* to cater to those students, but have no resources or training to meaningfully do so.
We've been hearing for a couple of years now about how the "Chinese market" (such an awful term for young people looking for the best way to secure their futures) is on the wane. Can't help wondering if part of that is just word getting out that the UK will take your money and leave you to sink.
November 9, 2025 at 10:36 AM
We've been hearing for a couple of years now about how the "Chinese market" (such an awful term for young people looking for the best way to secure their futures) is on the wane. Can't help wondering if part of that is just word getting out that the UK will take your money and leave you to sink.
Any objections if we shamelessly recycle this?
November 6, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Any objections if we shamelessly recycle this?
Our branch was never convinced the sums added up over all this in the first place. Even if they did, there was the choice to face up to the appalling cost to the university the planned cuts were clearly going to involve. To morale, to work-life balance, to student experience. Why didn't that happen?
November 6, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Our branch was never convinced the sums added up over all this in the first place. Even if they did, there was the choice to face up to the appalling cost to the university the planned cuts were clearly going to involve. To morale, to work-life balance, to student experience. Why didn't that happen?
All of which was *exactly what we said would happen*, only to be told we could just stop doing some things (*what* things?) and find new ways of working (which definitely exist, and definitely can just be adopted at short notice among teams often literally decimated).
November 6, 2025 at 10:35 AM
All of which was *exactly what we said would happen*, only to be told we could just stop doing some things (*what* things?) and find new ways of working (which definitely exist, and definitely can just be adopted at short notice among teams often literally decimated).
We're getting reports of increased sick leave, teams having to abandon previous activities that were clearly important, other PS colleagues and academic staff having to pitch in to keep things going, delays upon delays upon delays, the list goes on.
November 6, 2025 at 10:33 AM
We're getting reports of increased sick leave, teams having to abandon previous activities that were clearly important, other PS colleagues and academic staff having to pitch in to keep things going, delays upon delays upon delays, the list goes on.
It was obvious at the time that losing 10-15% of PS staff by wage/salary was going to make things much more difficult from those who chose to stay - or who wanted to leave but were denied the option, not always for reasons they could make sense of. This term is completely bearing this out.
November 6, 2025 at 10:31 AM
It was obvious at the time that losing 10-15% of PS staff by wage/salary was going to make things much more difficult from those who chose to stay - or who wanted to leave but were denied the option, not always for reasons they could make sense of. This term is completely bearing this out.