STRATEGIES FOR INSTRUCTOR PROTECTION FROM FALSE AND FRIVOLOUS HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINTS

W.P Neumann,F.A Salustri

doi:10.24908/pceea.vi0.13832

Abstract

False or frivolous human rights complaints against instructors, by students unsatisfied with their grades, have become a growing problem in some universities. These complaints and associated lengthy investigations are a form of mobbing that is harmful to instructors’ health and wellbeing. This in turn is harmful to instructors’ families, professional relationships, the pedagogical environment and the instructors’ careers. This paper reports on a brainstorming exercise used to identify possible ideas for preventing such false claims of human rights violations. This work operates under the assumption that the institution is unwilling or unable to improve their complaint management process. The authors identified 12 viable ideas that might help reduce the probability of a student making false accusations when unsatisfied with their grades. These ideas could be clustered as “Acquiesce”, “Shift Blame”, “Interaction Monitoring”, and “Separation”. All ideas had problem associated with them. Some ideas, like separation, were consistent with current pedagogical trends in distance and asynchronous education. In the face of a lack of institutional engagement in the current problem, the only idea identified that could secure instructor safety and wellbeing was to leave the profession. Further investigation is needed.

Highlights

This paper addresses the issue of instructor protection from false and frivolous human rights complaints by disgruntled students
We explore possible options available to instructors to protect themselves from false or frivolous human rights complaints made by disgruntled students
The authors identified and examined twelve strategies to deter false and frivolous human rights complaints against instructor These could be clustered into four general categories: Acquiesce to requests (n=2), Shifting “Blame” (n=3), Interaction monitoring (n=4), and Avoidance or separation strategies (n=3)

Summary

Introduction

This paper addresses the issue of instructor protection from false and frivolous human rights complaints by disgruntled students. Disgruntled students can more make such complaints against instructors using confidential online processes This results in the university launching secretive investigations against instructors ostensibly to protect the privacy of all parties. The investigators may conduct interviews with any of the following possible informants: the instructors’ Chair, their colleagues or collaborators, their teaching assistants, their grad students, and/or post docs as well as any staff with whom the instructor may have worked. These interviews are confidential and all parties are sworn to secrecy. Once completed the investigator passes a report to the instructors’ Dean who is the designated decision maker for the complainant

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Conclusion