Oxford University students complain about ‘excessive workloads’, says QAA report

Report encourages university to provide 'clear guidance and expectations' through programme approval processes

University of Oxford, pictured (Getty)

It may produce some of the most employable graduates around, but Oxford University has been told to take action after students complained about receiving too much work.

According a Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for Higher Education report, students who met the review team said “rigour is lost to excessive workloads,” while others said there was “little parity across the colleges in terms of workload.”

The QAA highlighted how students had tried raising this with their departments “but had been told it was a college matter.”

The QAA - an independent body which monitors and advises on standards​ and quality in UK higher education - said that, as a result, students believe the system is “unreceptive to complaints about variability.”

On the whole, the team found the issue of workloads to be “a significant concern” for undergraduate students at the top Russell Group institution.

Overall, though, QAA’s report commended the university for setting and maintaining its academic standards, as well as the information, enhancement, and quality of student learning opportunities which all meet UK expectations.

In its recommendations, the QAA said it is the university’s responsibility to “oversee its provision, including all aspects of learning and teaching,” and encouraged the university to provide “clear guidance and expectations.”

The review team also recommended the university provide “explicit guidance to enable a consistent approach to student workload” across the institution.

Cat Jones, an officer with the students’ union, told Times Higher Education (THE) workload was “definitely a problem,” with some students working around 50 or 60 hours each week.

She also said there were some instances where students were set three essays in one week, and told THE: “At that point, you are very much an essay machine.”

A spokesperson for the university, however, emphasised how the report recognises the “outstanding quality of teaching,” and said: “The standard and rigour of our degrees is also shown in the great demand for places from applicants wishing to be challenged at the highest level, and the consequent demand for Oxford graduates in employment and postgraduate study.”

Highlighting how the institution is “already at work” on the report’s recommendations, including the provision of more information about the teaching patterns students can expect on each course, the spokesperson added: “The QAA commends Oxford on the quality of its student representation on educational matters and we will use these strong links to discuss and respond to particular workload concerns.”