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!?
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
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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