COVID-19 Disruption Complaints

The University have now introduced a COVID-19 Student Complaints Process to deal with complaints relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you want to complain about any detriment, dissatisfaction, or disadvantage you have suffered as a result of disruption related to the pandemic you will need to use this process. If you want to complain about any other matter, you will need to do so using the usual Student Complaint Procedure.

Importantly, the complaints procedure does not provide the opportunity to challenge an academic decision taken by an Examining Board. The only way to challenge your results is to submit an academic appeal under the Academic Appeals Procedure. Some circumstances raise issues that give grounds for submitting both an appeal and a complaint. Further advice on what you need to consider on that point is available here.

Understanding your rights during the pandemic

Some of your rights are more obvious, as the University will tell you that you have them. Information about what you can expect as a student is provided in the Student Charter, Student Handbook, and your offer letter which includes programme information and the University’s Terms and Conditions.

Importantly though, when you accept an offer from Cardiff University and enrol on your course, you are entering into a legally binding contract that will give you both rights and responsibilities. As an individual agreeing a contract with a business, you are legally deemed to be a consumer and your contract is a consumer contract. This is important because it gives you additional rights.

This means that the University

Must provide their service with reasonable care and skill;
Are legally bound by any information they give you that you rely on when deciding to enter into the contract, or rely on when making decisions during the contract. This includes anything said and anything written (though verbal promises are very difficult to prove if they are denied later).
Cannot rely on any variation or exclusion clause to limit or exclude liability for either of the above points.

They must also

ensure that your course enables you to meet the learning outcomes for your programme of study;
effectively minimise the disruption caused by the Covid-19 disruptions to teaching and learning.

If you feel that the University have failed on any of the above because of the pandemic, you can submit a complaint under the rules set out in the COVID-19 Student Complaints Process. If you feel they have failed because of another reason, you will need to look at the usual Student Complaint Procedure instead.

Importantly, the University are able to make reasonable adjustments or changes to your programme, provided they maintain the quality of the teaching and do not deviate from the very essence of what they agreed to deliver. It can be a difficult to judge the difference in quality between face to face and online teaching and/or to prove that your learning experience was less than expected, so you will need to get as much support for your argument as you can.

What can you complain about?

The bases on which you can complain are clearly defined in the Student Complaints Procedure and are called grounds of complaint. You will see that there are a number of grounds but, in terms of Covid-19, you may complain under this procedure where you feel you have suffered a detriment, dissatisfaction, or disadvantage as a result of disruption caused to your programme by the pandemic. This detriment, dissatisfaction or disadvantage may include issues such as

the curriculum of the programme was not delivered as specified at the start of the 2020/21 academic year
the arrangements for the delivery of teaching and assessment were not as specified at the start of the 2020/21 year
your learning was not supported as you might have reasonably expected based on the information received at the start of the academic year
you have not had the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the programme learning outcomes
support services were not made available for you as you might have reasonably expected
you have not been provided with rent rebate for University accommodation as you might have expected.

How much can you claim?

How much you can claim depends on how much you have lost because of the University's failings. You will normally be expected to quantify your loss and show that it was caused by the University.

Quantifying your claim can be difficult but you can look through previous Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) case summaries to get an idea of the kind of amounts they find reasonable. It is important to get an idea of what the OIA find reasonable because they are the ombuds body you will be complaining to if you are unhappy with the University complaint outcome.

For claims relating to loss of future earnings, the OIA will take into consideration that we any recommend lump sum payment will not be subject to the same tax and National Insurance deductions that earnings would have been.
For claims relating to distress and inconvenience, the OIA will recommend up to £500 if they deem the level of distress and inconvenience as moderate, between £501 and £2000 if they deem it substantial and between £2001 and £5000 if they deem it severe. In exceptional cases they may recommend over £5000. Further information on how the OIA define moderate, substantial and severe is available here.
Compensation for failure to make up for missed learning content or failure to deliver learning outcomes is dealt with on the basis of refunding tuition fees. This is calculated based on 'notional cost of the teaching hours missed, reduced by a percentage to take into account that providers must also provide and maintain facilities, infrastructure, administration and other student services' In the OIA Coronavirus Case - CS112009, this reduction was 30%.
If the OIA recommend a fee refund, they normally recommend that the provider returns the money to the source it came from, for instance, the Student Loans Company.

OIA Position on Coronavirus and Tuition Fee Refunds

Importantly, in terms of changes made to courses, the OIA briefing note 2: Our approach to complaints arising from the effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) - June 2020 states that

What students can reasonably expect, and what providers can reasonably be expected to deliver, is likely to change and evolve as circumstances change and evolve, especially if restrictions are tightened again. But providers should be planning to deliver what was promised - or something at least broadly equivalent to it - and to ensure that learning outcomes can be met. It’s unlikely to be reasonable not to do that, especially now the initial crisis period has passed.

Where providers have not or decide they cannot deliver what was promised they will need to consider how to put that right. A blanket refusal to consider tuition fee refunds in any circumstances is not reasonable. There may be groups of students that are particularly affected, and providers should take steps to identify those groups and address their issues. But they also need to consider concerns raised by students about their individual circumstances.

There are examples of decisions made by the OIA in relation to issues around Coronavirus available on the OIA website here. Importantly, the OIA decisions seem to show that:

a complaint and refund request based solely on the fact that teaching is remote is unlikely to be upheld. This case was found NOT JUSTIFIED because the student had not been academically disadvantaged, could meet their learning outcomes and progress with their studies.
compensation may be recommended where the university has failed to ensure that a student can meet the learning outcomes in any module(s). This case was found PARTLY JUSTIFIED because the university had failed to mitigate the disruption to a student's learning experience in one particular module and had not ensured that the delivery of the module was broadly equivalent to its usual arrangements.

When to Complain

You should submit your complaint no later than 28 days after the end of the 2020/21 academic year i.e. no later than 16 July 2021. If your complaint is received more than 28 days after the end of the academic year i.e. later than 16 July 2021, it will not be considered, unless you provide an exceptional reason, supported by independent evidence, to demonstrate that you were unable to submit your complaint within the normal timescale. Upon receipt of the complaint and evidence, the Head of Registry will determine if you have provided a valid reason for the late submission.

If you are experiencing issues that can be resolved at the time, e.g. a particular lecturer not providing the full lecture time as promised, you will normally be expected to complain to your School at the time to see if something that can be done.

Preparing your Complaint

The best way to get a successful complaint outcome is to make sure that you identify and evidence:

how the University have either failed to do something they should have done, or done something that they should not have done; and
how this has caused you detriment, dissatisfaction or disadvantage.

A complaint that simply says you are unhappy because your learning was online for most of the year, or more of the year than you expected, is risky if it does not identify any of the University's obligations, does not identify any failings and does not evidence the detriment caused.

If you want the University to do something as a result of your complaint, especially if this is to pay you compensation or refund some of your tuition fees, you will need to make sure that your argument is as strong and as compelling as possible. You will also need to get as much evidence as possible to support what you say. We recommend that you start by preparing your case as follows:

Identify the University's obligations to you and make a list.

The University are obliged to ensure that your course enables you to meet the learning outcomes for your programme of study. Do some research, find the learning outcomes for your programme and identify any that are not being/have not been met. The learning outcomes for your programme are available through SIMS online and set out what you should know, understand or be able to do when you have completed a learning activity or your programme of study.
The University are obliged to effectively minimise the disruption caused by the Covid-19 disruptions to teaching and learning. Starting with the beginning of the year, go back through your programme and make a note of any disruption you experienced. This should be specific where possible and should also note if any attempts were made by the University to address the disruption, including if and how these attempts failed.
The University are obliged to provide what they promised to provide, either verbally or in writing. For this, you will need to look in a number of places, depending on what the disruption has meant for you. We suggest the Student Charter, your Student Handbook, and your offer letter which includes programme information and the University’s Terms and Conditions as a start. Many other things may be also be relevant, such as any conversations you had with the University, any emails or letters you received telling you things would be a certain way and any information on the University's internet and/or intranet pages.
The University are obliged to provide their service with reasonable care and skill. Reasonable in this sense means with the same level of care and skill you could reasonably expect from a University. Simply saying that you feel the University lack care and skill is unlikely to be enough and it is best to support what you say with an authoritative source. Examples that are more likely to be accepted as a lack of reasonable care and skill in a COVID context include failing to fully inform you of changes to your programme, failing to ensure that you have the opportunity to meet the learning outcomes for your programme or providing online lectures that lack the content you would have had in person.

Go through that list and identify where the University have failed in some way. Make notes to explain exactly how they have failed in your case.

When you have gone through your Student Handbook, Programme Regulations and the learning outcomes for your programme, you need to identify specific points where the University have failed in their obligations to you. Where you identify failings, it is a good idea to note the obligation (including where you found this) and the failing together. This will help you when writing your complaint later.

List what evidence you have, or think you may be able to get, to support the failings.

Evidence is discussed in more detail below but, if you are looking at evidencing the University's failings, you should try to evidence both the obligation and the failure to meet it. For example, if you are arguing that the University failed to provide you with the lecture hours you were promised in a particular module, you should try to evidence the promise of those hours (e.g. email/Programme Regulations/Student Handbook) and then how many hours they actually provided (e.g. timetable/email cancelling hours).

Look at the falings you have identified and make notes to describe the detriment, dissatisfaction or disadvantage caused to you.

Some disruption will have caused similar detriment across your cohort, or you may feel that the reason for your dissatisfaction should be obvious. It is best not to leave this to be inferred/guessed by the person reading your complaint. If, for example, the University provided less module content than they would have provided face to face, you will need to explain why you are dissatisfied and what the detriment is for you, e.g. that you have missed content that you were really interested in and that is why you chose the module.

List what evidence you have, or think you may be able to get, to support the detriment, dissatisfaction or disadvantage you are explaining.

You will not always be able to provide independent evidence of your dissatisfaction but you may be able to evidence certain disadvantages, such as the entry criteria for another course requiring knowledge in an area you have now missed out on.

Writing your Complaint

The complaints process is your opportunity to express your detriment, dissatisfaction or disadvantage to the University and we strongly advise that you take the time to do this as effectively as possible.

When writing your complaint, it is important to be clear and concise. Remember that the person reading your complaint will not know anything about your case and you need to be certain that you are explaining it in a way that makes it easily understandable.

Using your preparation notes as above, detail your complaint in chronological order and put each point you are making in a separate paragraph. If your complaint is complex and long it is also a good idea to number the paragraphs. While you may want to express how the University has made you feel in this instance, it is important not to lose the essence of your complaint in emotion.

When drafting your complaint we advise the following structure:

Outline what the issues/grievances are, when they started and whether they are ongoing;
Provide a clear and concise timeline of events;
Outline what your expectations and the responsibilities of the University were;
Explain how you believe the University has failed in those obligations;
Explain what the impact of this failure has been for you, emotionally, physically, mentally, financially and otherwise. How have you suffered detriment, dissatisfaction or disadvantage?
Explain what remedy you would like from the University to rectify the situation.

Providing Evidence

Focusing on and referring to the University's obligations is very important because it strengthens your complaint.

You must usually provide evidence to support everything you say in your complaint and refer to this throughout, e.g. The lecturer cancelled all remaining lectures for that module and sent us a reading list instead (see Appendix A, email from Dr Bloggs dated 02.11.20).

Evidence should ideally be independent and support all elements of your argument. You will need to clearly label the evidence and, if you are attaching more than a few documents, it is a good idea to number or label as appendices, e.g. A - J or 1 - 10. Importantly:

It is your responsibility to provide all the evidence and information that you want to be considered at the time that you submit your complaint.
If you are unable to present evidence with your complaint, you should detail why the evidence has not been included and indicate when it will be provided.

What evidence you need will depend on what you are complaining about and what you are hoping to achieve. If, for example, you are complaining about poor supervision, you should try to include evidence of emails that were not responded to, or feedback that was sent too late to use. If you are complaining about the quality of online teaching, you can include copies of the lecture material and the relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Statement.

Before you submit your complaint

When you have finished writing your complaint and gathered all available evidence, it is a good idea to get someone else to read through it for you and check:

Is it written in clear, grammatically correct language?
Is it easily understandable?
Is it accessible? When reading through the complaint, can the reader easily pick out a bullet list of the essential complaint points?
For each of those complaint points, have you explained what the University's obligations were and how they failed in those obligations?
Have you explained the link between each failure and your detriment, dissatisfaction or disadvantage?
Is what you say as compelling as it needs to be?
Have you provided evidence to support each point?

It is easy to get lost in your own complaint, especially if it is particularly long or complicated. If a friend or family member can easily understand the points you are raising and why you are raising them, it is a good indication that the University will too.

Submitting your Complaint

Complaints must be raised using the COVID-19 Student Complaint form. You complaint must be submitted by sending your completed form to Studentcomplaints@cardiff.ac.uk.

If you are a disabled student and require adjustments to this procedure to be able to fully engage with the process, you can contact Studentcomplaints@cardiff.ac.uk to identify reasonable adjustments which may be made to support your engagement. Tel:029 20876628.

Complaint Outcomes

A University officer will investigate complaints received under this process. The officer will gather relevant information and evidence.

The officer will recommend an outcome to the complaint, supported by relevant evidence, and submit a draft response for consideration by the Head of Registry.

The following decisions are available:

complaint not eligible to be considered under the process and advice provided
complaint not justified
complaint justified, or partially justified, and a remedy provided.

You should receive a decision letter detailing:

the decision
a clear explanation of the decision and, if appropriate, any remedy provided
what support is available to you
information on how to take the complaint to the University review stage if you are dissatisfied with the decision.

You should receive your decision letter within 90 days of submitting your complaint.

Request for Review

If you are dissatisfied with the decision reached under this process, you can request a review of the complaint in line with the procedures and grounds set out in the University Review Procedure.

Contact Student Advice

Advice@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 (0)2920 781410

Cwynion am Amhariad COVID-19

Mae'r Brifysgol bellach wedi cyflwyno Proses Gwyno Myfyrwyr COVID-19ddelio â chwynion yn ymwneud â’r pandemig COVID-19. Os ydych am gwyno am unrhyw anfantais neu anfodlonrwydd yr ydych wedi'i ddioddef o ganlyniad i aflonyddwch yn ymwneud â'r pandemig bydd angen i chi ddefnyddio'r broses hon. Os ydych am gwyno am unrhyw fater arall, bydd angen i chi wneud hynny gan ddefnyddio'r Trefn Gwyno Myfyrwyr.

Yn bwysig, nid yw’r weithdrefn gwyno yn rhoi’r cyfle i herio penderfyniad academaidd a wneir gan Fwrdd Arholi. Yr unig ffordd i herio'ch canlyniadau yw cyflwyno apêl academaidd o dan yGweithdrefn Apeliadau Academaidd. Mae rhai amgylchiadau'n rhoi sail dros gyflwyno apêl a chwyn. Mae cyngor pellach ar yr hyn sydd angen i chi ei ystyried ar y pwynt hwnnw ar gael yma.

Deall eich hawliau yn ystod y pandemig

Mae rhai o'ch hawliau yn fwy amlwg, gan y bydd y Brifysgol yn dweud wrthych amdanynt. Darperir gwybodaeth am yr hyn y gallwch ei ddisgwyl fel myfyriwr yn Siarter y Myfyrwyr, y Llawlyfr Myfyrwyr, a'ch llythyr cynnig sy'n cynnwys gwybodaeth am y rhaglen a Thelerau ac Amodau'r Brifysgol.

Ond yn bwysig, pan fyddwch yn derbyn cynnig gan Brifysgol Caerdydd ac yn cofrestru ar eich cwrs, rydych yn ymrwymo i gontract sy'n eich rhwymo'n gyfreithiol ac yn rhoi hawliau a chyfrifoldebau i chi. Fel unigolyn sy'n cytuno ar gontract gyda busnes, fe'ch ystyrir yn gyfreithiol i fod yn ddefnyddiwr ac mae eich contract yn gontract defnyddiwr. Mae hyn yn bwysig oherwydd ei fod yn rhoi hawliau ychwanegol i chi.

Mae hyn yn golygu bod angen i'r Brifysgol

Darparu gofal a sgil rhesymol fel rhan o'i gwasanaeth;
Wedi ei rhwymo'n gyfreithiol gan unrhyw wybodaeth y maey'n ei rhoi i chi yr ydych yn dibynnu arni wrth benderfynu ymrwymo i'r contract, neu'n dibynnu arni wrth wneud penderfyniadau yn ystod y contract. Mae hyn yn cynnwys unrhyw beth a ddywedir ac unrhyw beth a ysgrifennwyd (er ei bod yn anodd iawn profi addewidion llafar os cânt eu gwrthod yn ddiweddarach).
Ni all ddibynnu ar unrhyw gymal amrywio neu wahardd i gyfyngu neu eithrio atebolrwydd am unrhyw un o'r pwyntiau uchod.

Rhaid iddynt hefyd

sicrhau bod eich cwrs yn eich galluogi i gyflawni'r canlyniadau dysgu ar gyfer eich rhaglen astudio;
lleihau'r aflonyddwch a achosir gan Covid-19 i addysgu a dysgu.

Os teimlwch fod y Brifysgol wedi methu ar unrhyw un o’r uchod oherwydd y pandemig, gallwch gyflwyno cwyn o dan y rheolau a nodir yn yProses Gwyno Myfyrwyr COVID-19. Os teimlwch eu bod wedi methu oherwydd rheswm arall, bydd angen i chi edrych ar yDrefn Gwyno Myfyrwyr.

Yn bwysig, mae'r Brifysgol yn gallu gwneud addasiadau rhesymol neu newidiadau i'ch rhaglen, ar yr amod eu bod yn cynnal ansawdd yr addysgu ac nad ydynt yn colli'r hyn y cytunodd i gwblhau. Gall fod yn anodd barnu’r gwahaniaeth mewn ansawdd rhwng addysgu wyneb yn wyneb ac addysgu ar-lein a/neu brofi bod eich profiad dysgu yn waeth na’r disgwyl, felly bydd angen i chi gael cymaint o gefnogaeth ag y gallwch.

Beth allwch chi gwyno amdano?

Mae'r seiliau ar gyfer cwyno wedi'u diffinio'n glir yn y Weithdrefn Gwyno Myfyrwyr ac fe'u gelwir sail y gwyn. Fe welwch fod yna nifer o seiliau ond, o ran Covid-19, gallwch gwyno os ydych yn teimlo eich bod wedi dioddef anfantais neu anfodlonrwydd o ganlyniad i unrhyw darfu ar eich rhaglen gan y pandemig. Gall yr anfantais neu'r anfodlonrwydd gynnwys materion fel

ni chyflwynwyd cwricwlwm y rhaglen fel y nodwyd ar ddechrau blwyddyn academaidd 2020/21
nid oedd y trefniadau ar gyfer addysgu ac asesu fel y’u pennwyd ar ddechrau blwyddyn 2020/21
ni chefnogwyd eich dysgu fel y gallech fod wedi’i ddisgwyl yn rhesymol ar sail y wybodaeth a dderbyniwyd ar ddechrau’r flwyddyn academaidd
nad ydych wedi cael y cyfle i ddangos eich bod wedi cyflawni canlyniadau dysgu'r rhaglen
nid oedd gwasanaethau cymorth ar gael i chi fel y gallech fod wedi disgwyl yn rhesymol
nid ydych wedi cael ad-daliad rhent am lety'r Brifysgol fel y gallech fod wedi'i ddisgwyl.

Faint y gallwch ei hawlio?

Mae faint y gallwch ei hawlio yn dibynnu ar faint rydych wedi'i golli oherwydd methiannau'r Brifysgol. Fel arfer bydd disgwyl i chi fesur eich colled a dangos mai'r Brifysgol oedd wedi ei hachosi.

Gall fod yn anodd meintioli eich hawliad ond gallwch edrych trwy grynodebau achosion blaenorol o Swyddfa’r Dyfarnwr Annibynnol (OIA) i gael syniad o'r math o symiau sy'n rhesymol. Mae'n bwysig cael syniad o'r hyn y mae'r OIA yn ei ystyried yn rhesymol oherwydd dyma'r corff ombwds y byddwch yn cwyno iddo os ydych yn anhapus â chanlyniad cwyn y Brifysgol.

Ar gyfer hawliadau sy'n ymwneud â cholli enillion yn y dyfodol, bydd yr OIA ystyried ein bod yn argymell na fydd cyfandaliad yn destun yr un didyniadau treth ac Yswiriant Gwladol ag y byddai enillion wedi bod.
Ar gyfer hawliadau sy’n ymwneud â thrallod ac anghyfleustra, bydd yr OIA yn argymell hyd at £500 os yw’n ystyried bod lefel y trallod ac anhwylustod yn gymedrol, rhwng £501 a £2000 os yw’n ystyried ei fod yn sylweddol a rhwng £2001 a £5000 os yn ddifrifol. Mewn achosion eithriadol gallant argymell dros £5000. Mae rhagor o wybodaeth am sut mae'r OIA yn diffinio cymedrol, sylweddol a difrifol ar gaelyma.
Ymdrinnir ag iawndal am fethiant i wneud iawn am golli cynnwys dysgu neu fethiant i gyflawni canlyniadau dysgu ar sail ad-dalu ffioedd dysgu. Mae hyn yn cael ei gyfrifo ar sail 'cost dybiannol yr oriau addysgu a gollwyd, wedi'i leihau gan ganran i gymryd i ystyriaeth bod yn rhaid i ddarparwyr hefyd ddarparu a chynnal cyfleusterau, seilwaith, gweinyddiaeth a gwasanaethau myfyrwyr eraill'. Yn yr Achos Coronafeirws OIA - CS112009, y gostyngiad hwn oedd 30%.
Os bydd yr OIA yn argymell ad-daliad ffi, mae fel arfer yn argymell bod y darparwr yn dychwelyd yr arian i'r ffynhonnell y daeth ohoni, er enghraifft, y Cwmni Benthyciadau Myfyrwyr.

Safbwynt yr OIA ar Coronafeirws ac Ad-daliadau Ffioedd Dysgu

Yn bwysig, o ran y newidiadau a wneir i gyrsiau, mae Nodyn briffio 2 yr OIA: Ein hagwedd at gwynion yn deillio o effeithiau coronafeirws (COVID-19) - Mehefin 2020 yn datgan:

Mae'n debygol y gall yr hyn mae myfyrwyr ei ddisgwyl yn rhesymol, a’r hyn y gellir yn rhesymol ddisgwyl i ddarparwyr ei gyflawni, newid ac esblygu wrth i amgylchiadau newid ac esblygu, yn enwedig os caiff cyfyngiadau eu tynhau eto. Ond dylai darparwyr fod yn cynllunio i gyflawni'r hyn a addawyd - neu rywbeth sydd o leiaf yn cyfateb yn fras iddo - a sicrhau y gellir cyflawni canlyniadau dysgu. Mae'n debyg bod peidio gwneud hynny'n cael ei hystyried yn anrhesymol, yn enwedig nawr bod y cyfnod argyfwng cychwynnol wedi pasio.

Lle nad yw darparwyr wedi cyflawni’r hyn a addawyd neu’n penderfynu na allant wneud hynny, bydd angen iddynt ystyried sut i unioni hynny. Nid yw gwrthodiad cyffredinol i ystyried ad-daliadau ffioedd dysgu yn rhesymol o dan unrhyw amgylchiadau. Efallai y bydd grwpiau o fyfyrwyr yn cael eu heffeithio’n fwy nag eraill, a dylai darparwyr gymryd camau i nodi’r grwpiau hynny a mynd i’r afael â’u problemau. Ond mae angen iddynt hefyd ystyried pryderon a godwyd gan fyfyrwyr am eu hamgylchiadau unigol.

Mae enghreifftiau o benderfyniadau a wnaed gan yr OIA mewn perthynas â materion yn ymwneud â’r Coronafeirws ar gael ar wefan yr OIA yma. Yn bwysig, ymddengys fod penderfyniadau’r OIA yn dangos:

mae'n annhebygol y caiff cwyn a chais am ad-daliad sy'n seiliedig yn unig ar y ffaith bod addysgu o bell, yn llwyddiannus. Canfuwyd bod yr achos hwn yn AFLWYDDIANNUS oherwydd nad oedd y myfyriwr wedi bod o dan anfantais academaidd, y gallai gyflawni ei ddeilliannau dysgu a symud ymlaen â'i astudiaethau.
Gellir argymell iawndal os yw'r brifysgol wedi methu â sicrhau y gall myfyriwr fodloni'r canlyniadau dysgu mewn unrhyw fodiwl(au).Canfuwyd bod yr achos hwn YN RHANNOL LLWYDDIANNUS oherwydd bod y brifysgol wedi methu â lliniaru'r amhariad ar brofiad dysgu myfyriwr mewn un modiwl penodol ac nad oedd wedi sicrhau bod cyflwyniad y modiwl yn cyfateb i'w threfniadau arferol.

Pryd i Gwyno

Dylech gyflwyno’ch cwyn ddim hwyrach na 28 diwrnod ar ôl diwedd blwyddyn academaidd 2020/21 h.y. cyn 16 Gorffennaf 2021. Os derbynnir eich cwyn fwy na 28 diwrnod ar ôl diwedd y flwyddyn academaidd h.y. yn hwyrach na 16 Gorffennaf 2021, ni fydd yn cael ei hystyried, oni bai eich bod yn rhoi rheswm eithriadol, wedi’i gefnogi gan dystiolaeth annibynnol, i ddangos nad oeddech yn gallu cyflwyno’ch cwyn o fewn y cyfnod. Ar ôl derbyn y gwyn a'r dystiolaeth, bydd Pennaeth y Gofrestrfa yn penderfynu a ydych wedi rhoi rheswm dilys dros gyflwyno'n hwyr.

Os ydych chi'n profi materion y gellir eu datrys ar y pryd, e.e. darlithydd penodol ddim yn darparu'r amser darlithio llawn fel yr addawyd, fel arfer disgwylir i chi gwyno i'ch Ysgol ar y pryd i weld a oes rhywbeth y gellir ei wneud.

Paratoi eich Cwyn

Y ffordd orau o gael canlyniad cwyn llwyddiannus yw gwneud yn siwr eich bod yn nodi ac yn dangos tystiolaeth o:

sut mae'r Brifysgol naill ai wedi methu â gwneud rhywbeth y dylen nhw fod wedi'i wneud, neu wedi gwneud rhywbeth na ddylen nhw fod wedi'i wneud; a
sut mae hyn wedi achosi anfantais neu anfodlonrwydd i chi.

Mae cwyn sydd ond yn dweud eich bod yn anhapus oherwydd rydych yn gorfod dysgu ar-lein am y rhan fwyaf o’r flwyddyn, neu fwy o’r flwyddyn na’r disgwyl, yn risg os nad yw’n nodi unrhyw rwymedigaethau’r Brifysgol, os nad yw’n nodi unrhyw fethiannau ac nad yw’n dangos tystiolaeth o'r niwed a achosir.

Os hoffech i'r Brifysgol wneud rhywbeth o ganlyniad i'ch cwyn, yn enwedig talu iawndal neu ad-dalu rhai o'ch ffioedd dysgu, bydd angen i chi gyflwyno dadl mor gryf ac mor gymhellol â phosibl. Bydd angen i chi gael cymaint o dystiolaeth â phosibl i gefnogi'r hyn a ddywedwch.Rydym yn argymell eich bod yn dechrau drwy baratoi eich achos trwy:

Nodi a rhestru rhwymedigaethau'r Brifysgol i chi.

Mae'n ofynnol i'r Brifysgol sicrhau bod eich cwrs yn eich galluogi i fodloni'r canlyniadau dysgu ar gyfer eich rhaglen astudio. Yna, gwnewch ychydig o waith ymchwil, dewch o hyd i'r canlyniadau dysgu ar gyfer eich rhaglen a nodwch unrhyw rai nad ydynt yn cael eu bodloni. Mae’r canlyniadau dysgu ar gyfer eich rhaglen ar gael trwy SIMS ar-lein ac maent yn nodi’r hyn y dylech ei wybod, ei ddeall neu allu ei wneud pan fyddwch wedi cwblhau gweithgaredd dysgu neu’ch rhaglen astudio.
Mae'n ofynnol i'r Brifysgol leihau'r aflonyddwch a achosir gan Covid-19 i addysgu a dysgu. Gan ddechrau gyda dechrau'r flwyddyn, ewch yn ôl trwy'ch rhaglen a gwnewch nodyn o unrhyw aflonyddwch a brofwyd gennych. Dylai hwn fod yn benodol lle bo'n bosibl a dylai nodi a wnaed unrhyw ymdrechion gan y Brifysgol i fynd i'r afael â'r aflonyddwch, gan gynnwys manylion os a sut methodd yr ymdrechion hyn.
Mae'n ofynnol i'r Brifysgol ddarparu'r hyn y maent wedi addo ei ddarparu, naill ai ar lafar neu'n ysgrifenedig. Ar gyfer hyn, bydd angen i chi edrych mewn nifer o leoedd, yn dibynnu ar yr hyn y mae'r aflonyddwch wedi'i olygu i chi. Awgrymwn ySiarter y Myfyrwyr, eich Llawlyfr Myfyrwyr, a'ch llythyr cynnig sy'n cynnwys gwybodaeth am y rhaglen a'r Telerau ac Amodau'r Brifysgol fel man cychwyn. Gall llawer o bethau eraill fod yn berthnasol, megis unrhyw sgyrsiau a gawsoch gyda'r Brifysgol, unrhyw e-byst neu lythyrau a gawsoch yn esbonio neu addo pethau wrthych ac unrhyw wybodaeth ar dudalennau rhyngrwyd a/neu fewnrwyd y Brifysgol.
Mae'n ofynnol i'r Brifysgol ddarparu eu gwasanaeth gyda gofal a sgil rhesymol. Mae rhesymol yn yr ystyr hwn yn golygu gyda'r un lefel o ofal a sgil y gallech ei ddisgwyl yn rhesymol gan Brifysgol. Mae dweud eich bod yn teimlo bod diffyg gofal a sgil yn y Brifysgol yn annhebygol o fod yn ddigon i ennill ac mae'n well cefnogi'r hyn a ddywedwch gyda ffynhonnell awdurdodol. Mae enghreifftiau sy’n fwy tebygol o gael eu derbyn fel diffyg gofal a sgil rhesymol yng nghyd-destun COVID yn cynnwys methu â’ch hysbysu’n llawn am newidiadau i’ch rhaglen, methu â sicrhau eich bod yn cael y cyfle i gwrdd â'r canlyniadau dysgu ar gyfer eich rhaglen neu ddarparu darlithoedd ar-lein sydd heb y cynnwys y byddech wedi'i gael mewn darlith wyneb yn wyneb.

Ewch drwy'r rhestr honno a nodwch lle mae'r Brifysgol wedi methu. Gwnewch nodiadau i egluro'n union sut maen nhw wedi methu yn eich achos chi.

Pan fyddwch wedi mynd trwy'ch Llawlyfr Myfyrwyr, Rheoliadau'r Rhaglen a'r canlyniadau dysgu, mae angen i chi nodi pwyntiau penodol lle mae'r Brifysgol wedi methu yn eu rhwymedigaethau i chi. Pan fyddwch yn nodi methiannau, mae'n syniad da nodi'r rhwymedigaeth (gan gynnwys lle daethoch o hyd i hyn) a'r methiant gyda'i gilydd. Bydd hyn yn eich helpu wrth ysgrifennu eich cwyn yn ddiweddarach.

Rhestrwch pa dystiolaeth sydd gennych, neu y credwch y gallech ei chael, i gefnogi'r methiannau.

Trafodir tystiolaeth yn fanylach isod ond, os ydych yn ystyried rhoi tystiolaeth o fethiannau'r Brifysgol, dylech geisio dangos tystiolaeth o'r rhwymedigaeth a'r methiant. Er enghraifft, os ydych yn dadlau bod y Brifysgol wedi methu â darparu’r oriau darlithio mewn modiwl penodol, dylech geisio dangos tystiolaeth o addewid yr oriau hynny (e.e. e-bost/Rheoliadau Rhaglen/Llawlyfr Myfyrwyr) ac yna faint oriau a ddarparwyd ganddynt mewn gwirionedd (ee oriau wedi eu canslo amserlen/e-bost).

Edrychwch ar y methiannau rydych chi wedi'u nodi a gwnewch nodiadau i ddisgrifio'r anfantais neu'r anfodlonrwydd a achoswyd.

Bydd rhywfaint o aflonyddwch wedi achosi niwed tebyg ar draws eich carfan, neu efallai y byddwch yn teimlo y dylai'r rheswm dros eich anfodlonrwydd fod yn amlwg. Mae'n well peidio â gadael hyn i gael ei tybio/dyfalu gan y pobl sy'n darllen eich cwyn. Er enghraifft, os yw'r Brifysgol wedi darparu llai o gynnwys modiwl nag y byddent wedi'i ddarparu wyneb yn wyneb, bydd angen i chi egluro pam eich bod yn anfodlon a beth yw'r anfantais i chi, e.e. eich bod wedi methu cynnwys yr oedd gennych wir ddiddordeb ynddo a dyna pam y dewisoch y modiwl.

Rhestrwch pa dystiolaeth sydd gennych, neu y credwch y gallech ei chael, i gefnogi'r anfantais neu'r anfodlonrwydd yr ydych yn ei hegluro.

Ni fyddwch bob amser yn gallu darparu tystiolaeth annibynnol o'ch anfodlonrwydd ond efallai y byddwch yn gallu dangos tystiolaeth o anfanteision penodol, megis y meini prawf mynediad ar gyfer cwrs arall sy'n gofyn am wybodaeth mewn maes yr ydych bellach wedi'i golli.

Ysgrifennu eich Cwyn

Mae'r broses gwyno yn gyfle i arddangos eich anfantais neu anfodlonrwydd i'r Brifysgol a chynghorwn yn gryf eich bod yn cymryd yr amser i wneud hyn mor effeithiol â phosibl.

Wrth ysgrifennu eich cwyn, mae'n bwysig bod yn glir ac yn gryno. Cofiwch na fydd y pobl sy’n darllen eich cwyn yn gwybod dim am eich achos ac mae angen i chi fod yn sicr eich bod yn ei hegluro mewn ffordd sy’n hawdd ei deall.

Gan ddefnyddio eich nodiadau paratoi fel uchod, rhowch fanylion eich cwyn mewn trefn gronolegol a rhowch bob pwynt yr ydych yn ei wneud mewn paragraff ar wahân. Os yw eich cwyn yn gymhleth ac yn hir mae hefyd yn syniad da rhifo'r paragraffau. Er efallai y byddwch am fynegi sut mae'r Brifysgol wedi gwneud i chi deimlo, mae'n bwysig peidio â cholli hanfod eich cwyn mewn emosiwn.

Wrth ddrafftio’ch cwyn rydym yn cynghori’r strwythur canlynol:

Amlinellu beth yw'r materion/cwynion, pryd y dechreuon nhw ac a ydynt yn barhaus;
Darparu amserlen glir a chryno o ddigwyddiadau;
Amlinellu beth oedd eich disgwyliadau a chyfrifoldebau'r Brifysgol;
Egluro sut yr ydych yn credu bod y Brifysgol wedi methu yn y rhwymedigaethau hynny;
Egluro beth yw effaith y methiant hwn arnoch chi, yn emosiynol, yn gorfforol, yn feddyliol, yn ariannol ac fel arall. Sut ydych chi wedi dioddef anfantais neu anfodlonrwydd?
Egluro pa rwymedi yr hoffech chi gan y Brifysgol i unioni'r sefyllfa.

Darparu Tystiolaeth

Mae canolbwyntio ar rwymedigaethau'r Brifysgol a chyfeirio atynt yn bwysig iawn oherwydd mae'n cryfhau eich cwyn.

Fel arfer mae'n rhaid i chi ddarparu tystiolaeth i gefnogi popeth a ddywedwch yn eich cwyn a chyfeirio at hyn drwy gydol eich cwyn, ee Canslodd y darlithydd yr holl ddarlithoedd oedd yn weddill ar gyfer y modiwl hwnnw ac anfonodd restr ddarllen atom yn lle hynny (gweler Atodiad A, e-bost gan Dr Bloggs o 02.11.20).

Yn ddelfrydol, dylai tystiolaeth fod yn annibynnol a chefnogi pob elfen o'ch dadl. Bydd angen i chi labelu’r dystiolaeth yn glir ac, os ydych yn atodi mwy nag ychydig o ddogfennau, mae’n syniad da rhifo neu labelu fel atodiadau, e.e. A – J neu 1 – 10. Pwysig:

Eich cyfrifoldeb chi yw darparu'r holl dystiolaeth a gwybodaeth hoffech gael eu hystyried pan yn cyflwyno'ch cwyn.
Os na allwch gyflwyno tystiolaeth gyda’ch cwyn, dylech nodi pam nad yw’r dystiolaeth wedi’i chynnwys a nodi pryd y bydd ar gael.

Bydd pa dystiolaeth sydd ei hangen arnoch yn dibynnu ar yr hyn yr ydych yn cwyno amdano a'r hyn yr ydych yn gobeithio ei gyflawni. Er enghraifft, os ydych yn cwyno am oruchwyliaeth wael, dylech geisio cynnwys tystiolaeth o negeseuon e-bost nad ymatebwyd iddynt, neu adborth a anfonwyd yn rhy hwyr i'w ddefnyddio. Os ydych yn cwyno am ansawdd addysgu ar-lein, gallwch gynnwys copïau o ddeunydd y ddarlith a'r Datganiad Meincnodi Pwnc ASA perthnasol.

Cyn i chi gyflwyno eich cwyn

Pan fyddwch wedi gorffen ysgrifennu eich cwyn ac wedi casglu’r holl dystiolaeth, mae’n syniad da cael rhywun arall i’w darllen ar eich rhan a gwirio:

A yw wedi'i ysgrifennu mewn iaith glir, gramadegol gywir?
A yw'n hawdd ei ddeall?
A yw'n hygyrch? Wrth ddarllen trwy'r gwyn, a all y darllenydd ddewis rhestr fwled o'r pwyntiau cwyno yn hawdd?
Ar gyfer pob un o'r pwyntiau cwyn hynny, a ydych wedi egluro beth oedd rhwymedigaethau'r Brifysgol a sut methodd y Brifysgol i gyflawni'r rhwymedigaethau hynny?
A ydych wedi egluro’r cysylltiad rhwng pob methiant a’ch anfantais neu anfodlonrwydd?
A yw'r hyn a ddywedwch mor gymhellol ag y mae angen iddo fod?
A ydych wedi darparu tystiolaeth i gefnogi pob pwynt?

Mae'n hawdd mynd ar goll yn eich cwyn eich hun, yn enwedig os yw'n hynod o hir neu gymhleth. Os gall ffrind neu aelod o'r teulu ddeall yn hawdd y pwyntiau rydych yn eu codi a pham rydych yn eu codi, mae'n arwydd da y bydd y Brifysgol hefyd.

Cyflwyno'ch Cwyn

Rhaid codi cwynion gan ddefnyddio'r Ffurflen Gwyno Myfyriwr COVID-19. Rhaid cyflwyno'ch cwyn trwy anfon eich ffurflen wedi'i chwblhau i Studentcomplaints@cardiff.ac.uk.

Os ydych yn fyfyriwr anabl ac mae angen addasiadau i'r weithdrefn hon er mwyn gallu ymgysylltu'n llawn â'r broses, gallwch gysylltu â Studentcomplaints@cardiff.ac.uk i nodi addasiadau rhesymol y gellir eu gwneud i gefnogi eich ymgysylltiad. Ffôn: 029 20876628.

Canlyniadau Cwyn

Bydd swyddog o'r Brifysgol yn ymchwilio i gwynion a dderbynnir fel rhan o'r broses hon. Bydd y swyddog yn casglu gwybodaeth a thystiolaeth berthnasol.

Bydd y swyddog yn argymell canlyniad i'r gwyn, wedi'i ategu gan dystiolaeth berthnasol, ac yn cyflwyno ymateb drafft i'w ystyried gan Bennaeth y Gofrestrfa.

Mae’r penderfyniadau canlynol yn bosib:

cwyn nad yw'n gymwys i'w hystyried o dan y broses a'r cyngor a ddarparwyd
cwyn heb ei chyfiawnhau
cwyn llwyddiannus, neu'n rhannol llwyddiannus, a datrysiad wedi'i ddarparu.

Dylech dderbyn llythyr penderfyniad yn manylu ar:

y penderfyniad
esboniad clir o'r penderfyniad ac, os yw'n briodol, unrhyw rwymedi a ddarperir
pa gefnogaeth sydd ar gael i chi
gwybodaeth am sut i fynd â’r gwyn i gam adolygu’r Brifysgol os ydych yn anhapus â’r penderfyniad.

Dylech dderbyn eich llythyr penderfyniad o fewn 90 diwrnod i gyflwyno eich cwyn.

Cais am Adolygiad

Os ydych yn anhapus â’r penderfyniad a wnaed, gallwch ofyn am adolygiad o’r gwyn yn unol â’r gweithdrefnau a’r seiliau a nodir yn Nhrefn Adolygu'r Brifysgol. .

Cysylltwch â Cyngor i Fyfyrwyr