In London, two weeks ago a class of students made legal history by winning a lawsuit against their college for poor teaching. In this landmark case the group all passed their course in historic vehicle restoration, but sued (起诉) the Oxfordshire college they had attended, claiming their qualifications were worthless because none had gained jobs in the field. The fact that the course was substantially different from that promised meant they won their case. James Groves, general secretary of the National Postgraduate Committee in UK reports that students are getting better at complaining. 'They are starting to see themselves as consumers of a product, and are reacting accordingly when things don't go right. Most importantly, they usually are paying their own fees and expect to get what they have paid for.' Groves says most complaints to his organization are about facilities and the quality of supervision. He says that more students seem to make complaints might be due simply to the fact that universities are getting better at dealing with them. 'In the past there was a tendency for colleges to brush these things aside. Today, most universities observe a code of practice and complaints are taken more seriously.' He adds that students with complaints should first talk informally with the person concerned, taking a 'friendly but firm attitude'. Jaswinder Gill, who represented the students in the Oxfordshire case, is co-author of a recently published book: Universities and Students. He says the Oxfordshire case is interesting because the majority of students finished the course and were awarded qualifications. 'Previously, students have sued when they failed to gain qualifications. But it is not now good enough for universities and colleges to say to grieving students: 'You've got your qualification, so what's the problem?' It's about the quality of that qualification.' The students argued that promises made in the college introduction, in course material and by course representatives during interviews were not met. Promised job opportunities in the industry failed to materialize, as did the promised 50 percent of practical and vocational work, and basic tools had not been available. Gill suggests that in such cases it is easy to prove the college at fault. What made the students of Oxfordshire win their case?