Student Engagement Week... What was it all about?
So, last week saw Brighton SU's first ever Student Engagement Week, aka
I <3 MY EDUCATION.
Arguably one of the most successful campaigns we have done at the SU, it was visible at each campus every day of the week and was designed around the principles of celebrating the different pockets of good practice across our vast institution, and engaging our membership into becoming a critical partner in their education, rather than a passive participant! As well as giving the students an informal route to tell us exactly what they thought about different aspects of their educational experience at Brighton Uni.
We focused on different aspects of the academic experience, and had each day of the week dedicated to representation, quality resources, a graduate career, feedback and learning & teaching.
Having received over 1000 pieces of 'Keep, Stop, Start' feedback from students, this contributes towards part of the research for the upcoming QAA Student Written Submission, as well as fully equipping all of our Union Representatives with student feedback on issues that actually matter to them.
With feedback ranging from library opening and accessibility, to fish and chips on a Friday! The variety was huge, and gave incredible insight to the different issues affecting students on different courses and campuses!
We are now the process of coding all the data we received, and will soon begin the analysis!
So all in all, an brilliant success! A boost for BSU! And an epic amount of academic engagement with our membership!
I am incredibly proud of everything that we have been able to achieve, and all I can say for now is watch this space!
Thursday 23 February 2012
Monday 9 January 2012
Student Feedback - is the NSS effective?
So,
"Is the NSS a truly effective method of collecting Student Feedback?"
This is the question on everyone's lips (well academic geeks like myself) at this time of year.
And of course, with a question like this, comes a lot of different opinions, stance points and answers.
An argument against the effectiveness of the NSS is that it does not encourage student feedback until the end of a degree, when the student who gives the feedback will not see the change as they'd have left University by the time anything actually happens.
This is common throughout University life, especially with regards to Student Feedback and engagement.
It is vital that a student feels engaged in their educational experience throughout the entirety of their degree. It's been proven that engaged students, are happy students, and will generally achieve greater academically, as oopsed to students who aren't engaged. (Zepke & Leach, 2010).
A way of combatting this, is through communication, reiterating the importance of a student voice and what I like to call "completing the feedback loop"
It's easy enough to do, and it simply means that staff, need to actually have conversations with students (heaven forbid!) about what students have told them about their experience of certain things throughout the duration of their degree. This way, when you ask a student to give you feedback again, they might actually do it, as they feel that they are positively engaging in the structures, and having their voice listened to and hopefully acted upon occasionally.
I must reiterate, how important it is to complete the feedback loop, even if an outcome cannot be achieved that the student voice has asked for. If a student has told you something, and a change cannot be made, and this isn't communicated back, you can imagine how disengaged and disenfranchised a student will feel, and then this could lead to a resent of giving their feedback at a crucial time when the University wants it - like the NSS.
Thankfully, I think this discourse might finally be beginning to be taken seriously by the University of Brighton.
With this message being sent to all staff at here:
As you can imagine, I'm glad that this issue is now finally being addressed within the University. And fingers crossed, staff will actually begin to have these deeper conversations with students about the academic experience. And one will hope that it's not just with final year students.
I guess all I can say is "watch this space."
"Is the NSS a truly effective method of collecting Student Feedback?"
This is the question on everyone's lips (well academic geeks like myself) at this time of year.
And of course, with a question like this, comes a lot of different opinions, stance points and answers.
An argument against the effectiveness of the NSS is that it does not encourage student feedback until the end of a degree, when the student who gives the feedback will not see the change as they'd have left University by the time anything actually happens.
This is common throughout University life, especially with regards to Student Feedback and engagement.
It is vital that a student feels engaged in their educational experience throughout the entirety of their degree. It's been proven that engaged students, are happy students, and will generally achieve greater academically, as oopsed to students who aren't engaged. (Zepke & Leach, 2010).
A way of combatting this, is through communication, reiterating the importance of a student voice and what I like to call "completing the feedback loop"
It's easy enough to do, and it simply means that staff, need to actually have conversations with students (heaven forbid!) about what students have told them about their experience of certain things throughout the duration of their degree. This way, when you ask a student to give you feedback again, they might actually do it, as they feel that they are positively engaging in the structures, and having their voice listened to and hopefully acted upon occasionally.
I must reiterate, how important it is to complete the feedback loop, even if an outcome cannot be achieved that the student voice has asked for. If a student has told you something, and a change cannot be made, and this isn't communicated back, you can imagine how disengaged and disenfranchised a student will feel, and then this could lead to a resent of giving their feedback at a crucial time when the University wants it - like the NSS.
Thankfully, I think this discourse might finally be beginning to be taken seriously by the University of Brighton.
With this message being sent to all staff at here:
"The importance of closing the feedback loop
· Discuss with your students issues that have previously been flagged through the NSS or other feedback mechanisms and tell them how this has fed back into their course or school, where improvements have been made or why the issues are hard to resolve.
· Emphasise to students that the survey is their chance to feedback about their overall experience at university.
· Give Students’ Union course reps time to talk to students at the end of a lecture."
I guess all I can say is "watch this space."
Friday 16 December 2011
...and the end of term has arrived!
Exciting eh?
With the end of term now approaching, one must look back at the last 12 weeks and reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly! It has been full of laughter, arguments and passion! But definately worth it, to say the least!
There has been:
So... May I take this opportunity to wish you all a great Christmas Holiday, and a prosperous New Year!
Get Merry, Eat Cake and Party Hard!
Roll on 2012 and the challenges it's gonna bring! The only way is up, and I'm in the mood for climbing!
Lots of Love,
Amy xxx
With the end of term now approaching, one must look back at the last 12 weeks and reflect on the good, the bad and the ugly! It has been full of laughter, arguments and passion! But definately worth it, to say the least!
There has been:
- GRADUATIONS :)
- Academic Forum's
- Training nearly 500 Course Reps
- Our AMAZING Academic Affairs Zone Committee
- Planning for the QAA to come
- A notebook full of to-do list's
- Copius University Committee's
- E-learning development
- Student engagement finally reaching the top of the agenda
- Lecturers and students united in the strikes against public sector reforms
- David Cameron talking out of his arse
- HEFCE still not reaching a decision
- Will they/won't they coalition bitching
- Lots of great conferences!
- And some long-lasting friendships being forged!
So... May I take this opportunity to wish you all a great Christmas Holiday, and a prosperous New Year!
Get Merry, Eat Cake and Party Hard!
Roll on 2012 and the challenges it's gonna bring! The only way is up, and I'm in the mood for climbing!
Lots of Love,
Amy xxx
Thursday 8 December 2011
Course Reps & Effectiveness.
Course Representation.
How many people see that phrase and don't really know what it means?
Within the University of Brighton there is a policy in place explicitly outlining the role and responsibility of Course Reps at our institution, and the relationship (or should I say partnership) that the Union, University and Reps has in order to make it effective.
Now, as much as I am very happy that we have this policy in place, to what extent does it mean effective representation across the institution?
Yesterday, six Academic School Reps and I attended the NUS National Course Rep conference in Leeds. This presented a very good opportunity, to see how effective our 'partnership' with the institution on course representation is compared to other institutions across the country. The reaction from the Academic Zone Committee members who attended was unanimous. We have an incredibly good working partnership/relationship with the University of Brighton staff, with student views being listened to and acted upon where possible.
Now, I must emphasise, this is something I am not going to dispute. From my experience during my degree as a course rep, and then as an Academic School rep, I very much had the same level of success in my roles.
However, a flag is raised in my mind now as VP as to whether or not this engagement encountered by reps from the insitution, can necessarily be called effectiveness?
Are some of the reps in the institution simply there as a tickbox exercise to say the policy is being implemented? Or are our students effectively making the differences and seeing those positive outcomes that they put themselves forward to do?
This is something that is incredibly difficult to monitor, and to be perfectly honest I'm not sure where the accountability is meant to fall, to the institution as it is a University policy, or to the Union as it is a working partnership? Who know's?
I, however, do believe that the effectiveness of the Course Rep policy is not only down to having a rep for each course, but its also about actively engaging with the feedback the representatives are telling the institution, and valuing the contributions of the reps whilst at the same time, making sure the feedback loop is being completed, wit any solutions being communicated back to the student body, successful or not.
Another question that pops up is whether or not student representation and feedback is about engaging students into the institutional structure? Or should the focus be on the process, or maybe even in the outcomes of effective representation?
Personally, I believe it's a bit of both. Process is just as important as outcome, and the engagement of students in the structures is just as important as ensuring that the representation is effective and meaningful.
What does everyone else think?
How many people see that phrase and don't really know what it means?
Within the University of Brighton there is a policy in place explicitly outlining the role and responsibility of Course Reps at our institution, and the relationship (or should I say partnership) that the Union, University and Reps has in order to make it effective.
Now, as much as I am very happy that we have this policy in place, to what extent does it mean effective representation across the institution?
Yesterday, six Academic School Reps and I attended the NUS National Course Rep conference in Leeds. This presented a very good opportunity, to see how effective our 'partnership' with the institution on course representation is compared to other institutions across the country. The reaction from the Academic Zone Committee members who attended was unanimous. We have an incredibly good working partnership/relationship with the University of Brighton staff, with student views being listened to and acted upon where possible.
Now, I must emphasise, this is something I am not going to dispute. From my experience during my degree as a course rep, and then as an Academic School rep, I very much had the same level of success in my roles.
However, a flag is raised in my mind now as VP as to whether or not this engagement encountered by reps from the insitution, can necessarily be called effectiveness?
Are some of the reps in the institution simply there as a tickbox exercise to say the policy is being implemented? Or are our students effectively making the differences and seeing those positive outcomes that they put themselves forward to do?
This is something that is incredibly difficult to monitor, and to be perfectly honest I'm not sure where the accountability is meant to fall, to the institution as it is a University policy, or to the Union as it is a working partnership? Who know's?
I, however, do believe that the effectiveness of the Course Rep policy is not only down to having a rep for each course, but its also about actively engaging with the feedback the representatives are telling the institution, and valuing the contributions of the reps whilst at the same time, making sure the feedback loop is being completed, wit any solutions being communicated back to the student body, successful or not.
Another question that pops up is whether or not student representation and feedback is about engaging students into the institutional structure? Or should the focus be on the process, or maybe even in the outcomes of effective representation?
Personally, I believe it's a bit of both. Process is just as important as outcome, and the engagement of students in the structures is just as important as ensuring that the representation is effective and meaningful.
What does everyone else think?
Friday 4 November 2011
Democracy in Action!
I have decided to write a blog on the outcome of our AGM (Annual General Meeting) that occurred last night.
Before I start, I would like to make it entirely clear that I DO SUPPORT THE STRIKE and the reasons that surround it on November 30th. I don't however agree with the motion that was presented at the AGM.
At the AGM a motion was passed that supports UCU & Unison staff strike action on November 30th, and commits our Union into providing resources and support to the strike.
The Motion read as follows:
4.3 That strike action is an effective and appropriate way to resist the
governments cuts.
4.5 That any further strike action taken by University lecturers and
support staff should be supported by students and the union.
5.1 To call and organise a student strike to co-incide with any potential
strike action by staff on campus.
I stood up and spoke against this motion because I believe that not only does this motion go against the interests of the majority of our members (whom I was elected to represent). It is also detrimental to the fact that it ties BSU into pooling resources and staff time into promoting and actively supporting this motion when that is something that we have limited amounts of.
Thankfully, after scrutiny from the attendee's of the AGM parts 4.2, 4.5 and 5.1 were removed from the motion before it was passed.
On the final voting of passing the motion, as it stood with the parts removed; I abstained. The reasons behind my abstention were that becuase in principle I agreed with what the final motion said, I did not believe that it would be an effective representation of what our members believed.
I had had various discussions with a lot of different students around the many different campuses we have at the University of Brighton, and I heard the same story from them all. they all thought and believed that if the strike affected their education and contact time at university, they were not in favour of it.
I did of course explain that the nature of strikes is to cause an injustice, so that people sit up and do something about an issue, (in this case staff pensions), and the entire story of the staff pensions, and the disgusting approach the government are taking on the Public Sector. Yet, however much the students sympathised with the situation the lecturers/support staff were in, they were not prepared to give up their education for it.
Overall, I hope this blog post explains well enough my reasons to being against this motion, and eventually my reason for abstaining from the ultimate vote on it.
We are a Students' Union, not a Staff Union, and at the end of the day I was elected to keep my member's interests at the forefront of my decisions.To produce relevant material and resources to help with this.
Before I start, I would like to make it entirely clear that I DO SUPPORT THE STRIKE and the reasons that surround it on November 30th. I don't however agree with the motion that was presented at the AGM.
At the AGM a motion was passed that supports UCU & Unison staff strike action on November 30th, and commits our Union into providing resources and support to the strike.
The Motion read as follows:
1 Support Strikes
3 This Union notes:
3.1 That both the UCU and Unison trade unions are likely to be taking
joint strike action on November 30th, as part of a day of action that
could see 2million + workers on strike in protest against pension
cuts.
3.2 That strike action taken by UCU and other unions in the past has
resulted in the reversal of job losses and course closures.
3.3 That the proposed cuts could result in 40,000 job losses nationally
in higher education.
3.4 That this strike action is likely to be the start of further action
against the cuts, including further strike action.
4 This Union believes:
4.1 That job losses, and any attacks on the conditions, pay and
pensions of workers at the university will reduce the quality of
student’s education.
4.2 That the SU should take an active and campaigning role in
supporting any potential strike action by members of staff.
4.4 That cuts to staff pensions is an issue that affects students as well
as staff, and thus the fight against pension cuts is the same fight as
against higher fees and cuts to university funding.
5 This Union resolves:
5.2 To actively encourage students to not attend university on
November 30th, and also to support lecturers and support staff on
picket lines around campuses.
5.3 To produce relevant material and resources to help with this.
I stood up and spoke against this motion because I believe that not only does this motion go against the interests of the majority of our members (whom I was elected to represent). It is also detrimental to the fact that it ties BSU into pooling resources and staff time into promoting and actively supporting this motion when that is something that we have limited amounts of.
Thankfully, after scrutiny from the attendee's of the AGM parts 4.2, 4.5 and 5.1 were removed from the motion before it was passed.
On the final voting of passing the motion, as it stood with the parts removed; I abstained. The reasons behind my abstention were that becuase in principle I agreed with what the final motion said, I did not believe that it would be an effective representation of what our members believed.
I had had various discussions with a lot of different students around the many different campuses we have at the University of Brighton, and I heard the same story from them all. they all thought and believed that if the strike affected their education and contact time at university, they were not in favour of it.
I did of course explain that the nature of strikes is to cause an injustice, so that people sit up and do something about an issue, (in this case staff pensions), and the entire story of the staff pensions, and the disgusting approach the government are taking on the Public Sector. Yet, however much the students sympathised with the situation the lecturers/support staff were in, they were not prepared to give up their education for it.
Overall, I hope this blog post explains well enough my reasons to being against this motion, and eventually my reason for abstaining from the ultimate vote on it.
We are a Students' Union, not a Staff Union, and at the end of the day I was elected to keep my member's interests at the forefront of my decisions.To produce relevant material and resources to help with this.
Tuesday 4 October 2011
Post- Freshers Week Update
Wow,
So the week that Brighton Students' Union builds up to every year has finally been and gone, and as Vice President of Academic Affairs I have landed back down to the Brighton ground with an almighty thump.
What an amazing, intense, crazy, hectic, mind blowing week!
Now, I'm sure we all hope that the Freshers AND returning students had a great 7 days of fun and frolicking, but I'm sure we are all aware that now the hard work really has to start.
So we need to ask ourselves, as a Students' Union, how do we work together with the University of Brighton to support our students, new and returning, to the full extent that they deserve?
Whether this is on issues of finding rooms and lectures, helping students understand their timetables, or making sure students feel empowered to take part and enjoy their degree as much as possible we must work as a coalition to ensure that there is an effective service provision and signposting of information so that every students feels comfortable and included in their learning environment.
Luckily here at Brighton we have some very good guys on board with Student Facing issues and now the concept of the 'Student Experience' is fast becoming the new buzzword of the Academic Year!
But personally, I think the main question we need to ask ourselves now is should we really be using the term 'Experience' or should we move towards a concept of 'Opportunity' instead?
As, let's face it... A Students' Experience of University is only as good as the Opportunities offered to them whilst they are here!?
So the week that Brighton Students' Union builds up to every year has finally been and gone, and as Vice President of Academic Affairs I have landed back down to the Brighton ground with an almighty thump.
What an amazing, intense, crazy, hectic, mind blowing week!
Now, I'm sure we all hope that the Freshers AND returning students had a great 7 days of fun and frolicking, but I'm sure we are all aware that now the hard work really has to start.
So we need to ask ourselves, as a Students' Union, how do we work together with the University of Brighton to support our students, new and returning, to the full extent that they deserve?
Whether this is on issues of finding rooms and lectures, helping students understand their timetables, or making sure students feel empowered to take part and enjoy their degree as much as possible we must work as a coalition to ensure that there is an effective service provision and signposting of information so that every students feels comfortable and included in their learning environment.
Luckily here at Brighton we have some very good guys on board with Student Facing issues and now the concept of the 'Student Experience' is fast becoming the new buzzword of the Academic Year!
But personally, I think the main question we need to ask ourselves now is should we really be using the term 'Experience' or should we move towards a concept of 'Opportunity' instead?
As, let's face it... A Students' Experience of University is only as good as the Opportunities offered to them whilst they are here!?
Monday 19 September 2011
My First Blog!....Welcome to the Academic Zone!
Hello everyone reading this!
This is my first official blog as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Brighton SU!
I thought, seeing as this is the first that I would simply do an introduction to my key priorities as VP for the next academic year.
Firstly, I will be focussing hugely on all things technology! Not only does e-learning (better knwon as Digital Literacies) benefit the student directly but bringing the learning and teaching up into the 21st Century; it also aids so many different aspects of the Student Experience at University. For instance, course retention and assessment and feedback.
Next up is assessment and feedback. A & F is a key experience a student has during their tiem at university. Every student recieves an assessment diet of some variety throughout their degree, as well as recieving feedback of some variety on said assessment. Therefore it is vital for a students development and progress throughout their degree that A & F is of an excellent standard. Whether this is through a variation in method of producing feedback (digital etc) or from actually producing a reasonable amount of feedback that is of a constructuve, positive and beneficial standard of quality that will actually benefit a students learning and development. It is clear that feedback is vital for a students academic experience.
Also, with regards to assessment. A student deserves the opportunity to recieve a varied assessment diet throughout their degree in roder to test theirs strengths and weaknesses in an equal manner so that there is not always such a huge reliance on a certain assessment method. This is great because not only does it benefit a students' educational process, it sets them up for life by embedding transferable skills into the cirriculum and assessment process by including exams, viva voces, presentations, assignments, projects, reports, group work and essays which are notabley part of every day employment and vital to display to get a job after graduation.
Thirdly, I will be focussing on an agenda of promoting students as co-producers in their education, as opposed to a consumer who turns up at university, hands over their fee's and expects a first class degree with honours. University is much more about the experience gained over the three years, rather than the certificate at the end of it.
And if students can get involved at influencing and helping shape their academic cirricula, that would be amazing! As, it is clear that if a student is engaged with how and what they are learning, as well as the actual process of it all they will gain so much more from their time a university!
Anyway, those are my three key points for the next academic year.
I would love to know what you all think about it!
Let me know!
A x
This is my first official blog as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Brighton SU!
I thought, seeing as this is the first that I would simply do an introduction to my key priorities as VP for the next academic year.
Firstly, I will be focussing hugely on all things technology! Not only does e-learning (better knwon as Digital Literacies) benefit the student directly but bringing the learning and teaching up into the 21st Century; it also aids so many different aspects of the Student Experience at University. For instance, course retention and assessment and feedback.
Next up is assessment and feedback. A & F is a key experience a student has during their tiem at university. Every student recieves an assessment diet of some variety throughout their degree, as well as recieving feedback of some variety on said assessment. Therefore it is vital for a students development and progress throughout their degree that A & F is of an excellent standard. Whether this is through a variation in method of producing feedback (digital etc) or from actually producing a reasonable amount of feedback that is of a constructuve, positive and beneficial standard of quality that will actually benefit a students learning and development. It is clear that feedback is vital for a students academic experience.
Also, with regards to assessment. A student deserves the opportunity to recieve a varied assessment diet throughout their degree in roder to test theirs strengths and weaknesses in an equal manner so that there is not always such a huge reliance on a certain assessment method. This is great because not only does it benefit a students' educational process, it sets them up for life by embedding transferable skills into the cirriculum and assessment process by including exams, viva voces, presentations, assignments, projects, reports, group work and essays which are notabley part of every day employment and vital to display to get a job after graduation.
Thirdly, I will be focussing on an agenda of promoting students as co-producers in their education, as opposed to a consumer who turns up at university, hands over their fee's and expects a first class degree with honours. University is much more about the experience gained over the three years, rather than the certificate at the end of it.
And if students can get involved at influencing and helping shape their academic cirricula, that would be amazing! As, it is clear that if a student is engaged with how and what they are learning, as well as the actual process of it all they will gain so much more from their time a university!
Anyway, those are my three key points for the next academic year.
I would love to know what you all think about it!
Let me know!
A x
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