Ryan Do

Best aspects: He clearly knows the content really well and his feedback shows strong understanding of the subject. The comments are technically solid and you can tell he knows what he’s talking about.

Could improve: The main area for improvement would be consistency in marking and clearer alignment with the rubric. Ryan’s marking feels overly strict and, at times, arbitrary. There seems to be a strong emphasis on very specific technical expectations, but these aren’t always clearly or consistently reflected in the rubric or teaching materials. As a result, marks often feel heavily dependent on narrow methodological choices rather than the overall understanding or quality of the work. There’s also a pattern where once a certain interpretation of the work is formed, the rest of the marking seems to follow that lens quite rigidly, rather than reassessing the work more holistically. This makes feedback feel less like open evaluation and more like fitting work into predefined expectations after the fact. I also get the impression that the level of strictness goes beyond what’s necessary for assessment, almost like there’s an emphasis on being known as a very tough marker as part of his teaching identity.

Advice: This unit expects a very high standard of work within a relatively short page/word limit, so it can feel quite demanding. The teaching staff are supportive overall, and the lecturer is approachable, but most of the assessment marking is done by tutor, particularly Ryan, rather than the lecturer directly. Ryan is known for being a very strict marker. Many students find the marking quite harsh, especially compared to expectations set in class, and there have been concerns raised about consistency in grading across different tutors. In some cases, clarification around marks has been needed due to differences in marking standards. So all in all, be aware that achieving high marks can be quite difficult and more often than not you will feel that the classes do just. Do remember that out of 12 weeks, classes only take place 6 weeks, so this is more of a self-study class.