Leeds Trinity University in the UK have responded to an alleged memo that asked journalism professors to stop using capital letters when sending out assignments - as they might 'frighten' students.
According to Express, the original memo stipulated that capitalisation on assignments could cause students to become anxious.
- UK university staff told not to use capital letters in case it upsets students
- UK student union 'bans' clapping to avoid triggering anxiety
The supposed reasoning behind avoiding capital letters is that their use could "highlight the difficulty of the assignment... and discourage students from attempting the assessment at all".
The memo states that the aim is to increase levels of student engagement, but it has drawn criticism for pandering to the "snowflake" generation, according to the Daily Mail.
However, the university has now come forward to clarify what they meant, stating it was part of new "best practise" that was found in the latest teaching research.
In a statement from the Vice-Chancellor, it says it was more about having good communication and consistent style.
"In response to today's comments in the media which allege we have banned capital letters (we haven't!), we're really proud of our approach to teaching and learning at Leeds Trinity."
The statement also hints that the memo referred to a ban on entire blocks of text with capital letters, rather than one or two used gramatically correctly.
One lecturer at the university had earloer told the Daily Mail that despite the intelligence of their students, they feel that they are fighting against the education system, which wants to treat them like children.
The move follows a rule created by the University of Manchester, which banned clapping in September as to not trigger student's anxiety.
Newshub.
