Lecturers banned from using capital letters to avoid upsetting 'snowflake' students

University bosses have banned lecturers from using capital letters when assigning work to their students out of fear it might upset them. Photo / 123rf

University bosses have banned lecturers from using capital letters when assigning work to their students out of fear it might upset them.

The memo sent out to staff at Leed's Trinity journalism department suggested that using uppercase letters may 'scare them into failure', reports the Express.

It also included some tips on how they should address their students from now on, such as writing in a friendly tone, steering clear of overbearing language and negative instructions.

Critics have slammed the idea because it suggests that the 'snowflake' generation are being overindulged throughout their education.

The list of instructions states that it aims to increase student levels of engagement while offering lecturers a list of do's and don'ts as well as prohibited terms.

The memo, obtained by the newspaper, says: "Despite our best attempts to explain assessment tasks, any lack of clarity can generate anxiety and even discourage students from attempting the assessment at all."

It suggested that writing a word in caps could highlight the 'difficulty' of the assignment and therefore worry the students.

Lecturers were told to avoid upper-case letters, especially when telling students to 'do' or 'don't' do something in the instructions of the task, the MailOnline reported.

However, one employee said that caps are needed so that students don't miss an important part of the assignment.

Part of the concern was to do with students who discuss the task with one another when they are confused by it, meaning that misunderstanding spreads quickly.

The memo added: "This can lead to further confusion and students may even then decide that the assessment is too difficult and not attempt it."

The lecturer at the university told the outlet that despite the intelligence of their students they feel that they are fighting against the education system who want to treat them like children.

Adding: "We are not doing our students any favours with this kind of nonsense."

Leeds Trinity said that the memo was guidance on the best way to go about explaining tasks to students as they want to support them and achieve their full potential.