We would like to clarify some points in your article "Students' campaigns take some ugly turns" (4 June). The publication A Student's Guide to Assessment was written by University of Central Lancashire students in January 2008, published the following June and distributed to first-year students at the beginning of the next academic year.
This was well in advance of the University of Central Lancashire Students' Union's campaign on feedback, and was seen across the board as a proactive, positive measure to improve students' experiences of assessment.
The article's tone suggests that all staff were asked to produce audio feedback as some sort of kneejerk reaction to the campaign.
In fact, this was trialled with volunteers from each of our schools, and we are pleased to say that the preliminary results have been mostly positive from lecturers' and students' point of view.
Finally, although it is true that the students' union has posted examples of bad feedback, it has also posted examples of good feedback, and all examples have been anonymised.
James Gotaas, Uclan Learning Development Unit, and Sarah Delli-Colli, education officer, University of Central Lancashire Students' Union.