Moving on from Level 1 ... and OCA

Results for People and Place, my third course at Level 1 at OCA, were somewhat less than my previous two courses.  I was expecting this, so nor major disappointment, though I am surprised that my concerns were so easily dismissed, this time by an assessor, who claims – despite the lack of evidence in the course materials –  that conceptual approaches are a core element of Level 1 courses.  I have written to OCA to seek clarification on this matter, but will have no satisfaction.  I can file a complaint, but marks cannot be changed.   How’s that for fairness?  Only students can make mistakes.
In general my learning experience at OCA has been mostly positive.  I have been fortunate to have engaged tutors who took the time to answer questions and show a genuine level of concern. Course mates have been equally engaging and supportive, except when problems arose, at which point some preferred to retreat to the safety of doing coursework.

Among the long string of disappointments:

• OCA promised to freeze tuition fees for a number of years for current students.  That went out the window as soon as OCA found itself operating at a loss as a result of failing to properly budget and/or maintain an emergency surplus.

• Instead of offering to take pay cuts or otherwise contribute financially for its mistake, OCA raised student fees while management enjoyed an increase in remuneration packages.

• When this was brought to student attention in OCA forums and in comments to OCA blog posts, all such information was removed.

• When the matter was brought to the attention of the OCASA (the Student Association), we were told our complaints amounted to bleating and that we should, essentially, get over it.

• OCA commissioned a redesign of its website which to this day leaves new students frustrated and even older students wondering where essential information has been buried.

• As a result of the redesign, students were required to open new gmail accounts.

• These new email addresses were subsequently superseded by even newer email addresses.

• In the spring of this year I was concerned about my current course expiring.  I contacted OCA and was informed I had only three months remaining and that to be eligible for an extension I needed to have submitted at least three of the five course assignments.  Not wanting to have to buy the course again, I got down to work, completed three assignments within the allotted time, applied for an extension and was told, Sorry, we made a mistake.  Your course doesn’t expire until next year.

• OCA quietly changed assessment rules and believed that posting these to their poorly designed website was sufficient notice of change.  When the first batch of students required to submit under these new rules discovered the revisions only weeks before submission deadline, the uproar forced OCA to accept submissions under the old rules.

• When the OCASA president retired from his position, he posted a self-congratulatory farewell to the OCA Photography FB group to which I replied with some of the information here and wishing for a more activist, student-centered SA president.  That post was subsequently deleted.  The former president  filed a complaint of libel with OCA, which was dismissed.

• After receiving marks substantially less for P&P than my previous two courses for supposed lack of conceptual rigor, I presented evidence to OCA that their L1 course materials said almost nothing about conceptual approaches.  I was told I could file an official complaint but grades cannot be changed.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to put up with the often unprofessional behavior of OCA management, though I suppose if I were elated at the prospect of future studies, I could bear it a while longer.  But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

And that is because we seem to have different ideas about the practice of photography.  The OCA is more interested in the academic character of photography, in the production of texts about photography, rather than photography itself.  I’m more interested in producing images than writing about them.  Most of the photographers I admire appear to be or have been the same, more interested in exploring the world visually than in writing essays about their interest or contextualizing their work within contemporary or historical practices.

So, I think for now I’ll go off and do my own thing and see how that works out.

New blog is here:  http://the-dark-lens.blogspot.ae/

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