About this case

The student had completed a Level 4 course successfully with the education provider and returned the following semester to complete the Level 5 course.  A few months into the new course, the student felt that they were unfairly assessed in some of their individual and group assessments, which also affected the relationship between them, their fellow students and their tutor. The education provider felt that they had provided constructive feedback following the student’s assessments, offered them support to achieve the standard, and provided opportunities for reassessments.

Communication between the student and education provider staff had become strained. The student was feeling frustrated and disappointed that they were likely to not achieve their Level 5 qualification. The education provider’s staff had become anxious when they interacted with the student as the student spoke loudly and appeared angry when they came into the administrative offices.

How we helped

iStudent Complaints reviewed correspondence and talked to the parties separately about the problem. The use of an interpreter assisted us to fully understand the information the student wanted to share. In separate confidential telephone calls, we discussed the options each party had developed individually for resolving the dispute, and reality tested those options with them.

We offered encouragement for them both to meet, to discuss possible options and find a mutually agreeable resolution between themselves. We checked in with the student and the provider following the meeting to keep the momentum of their discussions going and offer further encouragement.

Outcome

The student and education provider came to an agreement on how the student would be able to proceed to complete their level 5 course.