Blog
Academic Affairs Spring Report
I hate the word ‘blog’. So this is my ‘account’ of my Spring term…ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- NSS: If you’re a third year- get on it! Fill in the NSS from www.thestudentsurvey.com and have your say. This is where we and the University get data on your experiences so we know how to improve it for next time.
"It won't affect me, I'm leaving " ←←Wrong!
You’re degree will be from 'the University of York'. This is your chance to shape the University of York’s accomplishments, improvements and therefore its reputation through honest feedback which will help us to make it even better.
- Academic transition skills- a series of online modules being made by the Academic Support Office, and which we need students to test out. Get in touch if you’d like to do this- you’ll get a free Amazon voucher!
Co-ordinated:
-'Get Techie, Get Sourcey week': for useful tools for students to study, and consultation on how students would like to see technology better used by the University, thousands of sign ups for training with 'Turnitin', free USBs and menu's with useful links, free workshops for staff and students, videos of perceptions around technology and studying and the challenges ahead.
-Faculty Rep elections for YUSU Council.
-'We are Golden: Employability Week': for useful information about employability, and petitions and consultations on improving University provisions from the curriculum, to job fayres and re-naming the careers service.
-The first student submissions to the Annual Programme Review process have been written and submitted by course reps. This is the first time students' voices will be directly put at the heart of quality assurance in the institution to compliment and supplement departments' own submissions to the University.
Secured:
- Clear areas in the YUSU strategy articulating the need to put course reps as a Union priority in future staff and support developments.
- Text-messaging for departments to students if lectures are cancelled or re-arranged to tackle oraganisation and management issues raise din the NSS
-Work with the timetabling office to ensure earlier release, and more student-friendly timetables
- New improved study space for students
- Commitment to student parent facilities and 24 library provisions in the final sign off of the library renovation
Spoken at conferences including:
-'The new framework of quality assurance in Higher Education'- Launch to the sector with QAA, HEFCE, and UUK
-'Higher Education Funding: Who should pay?' at Queen Marys University of London
- Lifelong learning conference and funding: implications, and how to open to door to more learners in our Universities
I've written student submissions for:
-The first YUSU submission to the University Employability Strategy from hundreds of individual submissions co-ordinated with Rhianna and the team.
-The new framework of quality assurance for Higher Education- HEFCE, QAA. Here I recommended more transparent quality assurance which better assures both the public, employers and students of the standards of our degrees, as well as student involvement at every stage of quality assurance. I also recommended less retrospective analysis of the student experience, and healthy balance of
Been involved with:
- Library refurbishment: secured 24 hour library facilities and student parents facilities
- Secured extra study space
- Worked with course reps to examine extra study space in Langwith
- Worked with politics course rep to create a student staff liaison committee in Politics
- Music department periodic review
- Higher Education Academy focus on Student Engagement
- Review of the new framework for quality assurance in HE panel
-A Higher Education Funding debate at our institution, and subsequent commitments to sign-ups of all of our PPCs to the NUS 'fairer funding pledge'
-Standing committee on assessment.
-Review of combined studies: not going as planned. Ben and I have been involved in this. Although there are a number of positive aspects, we will be following up some proposals with extensive consultation over the next few weeks in order to ensure our view reflects those of students.
-Review of supervision: Ben and I have been involved in this and we'l be reporting on this soon.
I've been allocated to my first audit of a University as one of the first student auditors for QAA, which is due to start in the summer. I'm trying to arrange now with the QAA and my university to, for the first time, make an accessible dynamic 'diary' inc. video blogs, interviews, reports about the experience to make the process much more accessible to students, officers and institutions.
That’s all folks!
Next term will bring the Oi! Campaign to ascertain what we would like to see more of, differently, and improved in our teaching and learning experiences. Proposals arising out of the ‘Get Techie, get sourcey’ information gathered, making an alternative prospectus and improving the information, advice and guidance for prospective students. We’ll be concentrating more on employability, HYMS representation, and best practice guides for departments in supporting course representatives.
We've a great crop of course reps, an advice and support centre and a growing team of staff, faculty reps, and me, to support, listen and represent you in your academic affairs. If there's anything you'd like to see, then please do get in touch (academic@yusu.org) so we can see how we can help.
