| Aspect |
Small |
Large |
| Qualitative understanding of detailed context of issue by investigator/complaints manager |
Very high |
More general |
| Frequency of dealing with complaints and therefore strong 'case' and 'tactics' memory which will enable a sound and speedy solution. |
Lower frequency of cases and management roles which are spread more broadly, might mean this is weaker in smaller HEIs |
Often there is a person handling many complaints and so regularly applied, satisfactory solutions are more 'to hand'. |
| Finding independent personnel for panels |
More difficult but not impossible |
Easily done |
| Availability of Chairs sufficiently high in hierarchy for such panels |
Lower due to fewer staff and greater range of duties. |
Higher |
| Intrinsic understanding and use by investigating academic staff or academic staff on panels of the 'rules of natural justice' |
Probably depends on the disciplines involved at the College. |
Such staff probably available in disciplines such as law, medicine etc |
| Professional ethos expected of students and evident in staff actions in resolving a dispute. |
Will depend on predominance of subject discipline, especially in specialist HEIs |
Much more generalist at institutional level where dispute likely to be resolved. Could be quite specific in given departments, but unlikely to be codified unless Teacher Training, Medicine etc. |
| Wider involvement of staff and the culture of 'formal procedures' |
Staff are accessible and communication is more direct with students in a smaller HEI. Therefore students will speak to many people if they don't get the answer they want first time. Formal procedures are perhaps a less dominant part of the student/HEI interaction, for smaller things such as extending deadlines for submission of work. This can be a disadvantage when a formal approach is required. (The 'downside of the personal touch?). |
More matters handled by administrative routine. Students anticipate formality more readily. |
| Honesty |
It is harder to hide in a smaller HEI and so staff tend to be very straightforward about admitting to mistakes? It is obvious who must have done something. |
Perhaps causes of errors are more obscure in some cases? |
