I’m very grateful to Professor Brian Cox for supplying me with the word ‘Nobber’; it expresses exactly how I feel about my tutor without me have to resort to really bad language.

My Outlook box is still cowering in a corner and shuddering  from the bile-filled email that my tutor sent me yesterday.  He’s not a happy bunny.  It seems that by having  the temerity to question his comments I have stepped over the line.

I have come to the conclusion that he is a nobber.

He rubbished the course texts I’m supposed to be studying and I sent him an email saying that I didn’t think that was helpful and that he’d be better off taking it up with the Open University rather than telling me.

A decent tutor wouldn’t have made the silly comments he made in the first place.  A half-decent tutor might have made an effort to discuss and explain the points that were raised – that’s what we do in psychology.  What I actually got back was a ‘how dare you question my judgement – I am an IMPORTANT person who knows FAR much more than you about everything’.

Never trust a tutor who can’t spell ‘believing’.

He starts by calling me objectionable  and saying that he will not engage in personal communication with me EVER again. He then proceeds to ask me a host of questions that as I’m not allowed to engage with him – I can’t answer can I?

Nobber.

He denies having any personal issues with the OU course content – then says “I simply stated that, as with the vast majority of psychological texts, the OU text gives the ‘accepted’ false version”.

I think that stating that your employer (OU) is giving out the false version to students constitutes a bit of an issue, especially when said students are supposed to use the course texts as a main reference for their work.

His credibility went straight out of the window though when he also stated that he had no idea who Edwyn Collins is – or was. He wants me to read an article that supports his subjective opinion even if it is in a four year old magazine and full of  holes (of course I read it).  Perhaps he should return the favour and try Googling Edwyn Collins.

Nobber.

The most ironic line in the email – after blasting me with the kind of  ‘ner-ner-ne ner-ner’ rhetoric that I usually get from College Boy is:

“I hope you find these comments honestly and compassionately delivered?”

Either he doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘compassion’ or he’s being just a tad sarcastic. Heavens – how unprofessional!  Anyway – I can’t tell him whether I do or not because I’m not allowed to reply.

Studying with the OU is my hobby.  It costs quite a lot of money; some of which pays my tutor’s wages and funds the compilation and research of course material.  In customer service terms I think I may be getting a bad deal here in that I’m actually paying my tutor to be high-handed and obnoxious to me  AND getting fed duff information by the OU (allegedly).

Like other educational establishments, the OU receives government funding – but only if the students finish their courses – so tutors expecting to keep their jobs and get paid have an incentive to encourage their students to learn and persevere to the end of the course.

Nobber.

“If you do not like my TMA comments and would prefer to carry on beleiving (sic) in psychological falsities, then I suggest that you arrange transfer to another tutor.”

Is he implying here that it is okay for other OU tutors to uphold psychological falsities – but he won’t?  Such a purist – such a nobber.

Yes – I’m dobbing my tutor in to the OU – as a consumer I want value for money –  thanks very much.