Chrysalis courses
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A mixed experience
Positives The learning materials were excellent and are well organised on Moodle. The tutor was very experienced and knowledgable and learning materials were delivered in an engaging, accessible and informative way, involving a mixture of didactic and interactive teaching methods. Discussion was actively encouraged. The venue was accessible, with ample free parking. The student office was very accessible and helpful. The course offers excellent value for money and monthly weekend sessions make the course accessible to students in employment. Negatives One student dominated discussions, which impacted on my learning and meant the voices of other students was not sufficiently heard. This was neither addressed or managed appropriately by the tutor. As the only black student I on occasions experienced ‘othering’, unconscious cultural bias from some of the other students, and there was in general a colourblind approach. There was insufficient input on diversity and difference, especially regarding skills practice and reflectivity. Eurocentric assumptions were sometimes made in the tutor assessment feedback received, and issues raised in relation to my experiencing were not dealt with appropriately. It felt like I was sometimes being personally problematised e.g. it was questioned in one particular piece of tutor feedback whether I felt ‘misunderstood’. I also felt my educational background was sometimes held against me and that I was sometimes judged more harshly or held to a different standard to other students, who appeared to sometimes find my knowledge and experience threatening. The assessment guidance regarding presentations and group feedback in year three was not made sufficiently clear and processes were not well managed, resulting in me feeling harshly judged and feeling bullied. I was diagnosed with cancer in September 2023 and feel there was an insufficient ethic of care for me in relation to the aforementioned and more generally regarding support from the tutor. Whilst I have enjoyed and gained a lot from the course, and would still recommend it to other students, the above experiences have somewhat tarnished how I feel about the course.