Academic Rep Successes Blog

Education Update (January/February 2024)

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:53:56 Z

Welcome back to our third Rep Successes for this Academic year!

Across January and February, your reps were working hard to ensure that positive changes were made, student voices were listened to and that staff were aware when things were going well! Lots of great things have been achieved and this blog will give you an insight into what kinds of things our reps get done! It is so important it is to give feedback to your reps – your voice really is integral to making your university experience better!

If you have any feedback you’d like to give, feel free to contact your school or course reps. You can find out who they are here! (If the link does not work for you, please email coursereps@le.ac.uk)

Key Successes (so far!)

Chemistry – Year 1 reps raised the issue of deadlines for lab proformas which has been resolved for the second semester, and Year 2’s have now got a longer deadline for their lab work to be submitted within. Students were also pleased that past papers have been made available and look forward to these being available again this semester, in the lead up to exams!

Computer Science – Computer Science Reps have worked with staff to ensure deadlines are not set outside of working hours and during term-time only which has helped in avoiding vacation periods to be used as a deadline dates.

School of Computing and Mathematical Science – Reps have worked hard to ensure there are no issues with personal tutoring and have put into place regular sessions for meetings with personal tutors to develop a tutor/tutee relationship. Reps have also worked hard to increase the access to past papers for students so that they are well-supported in their revision.

Geography – Reps have worked hard to increase the visibility of their role, with a notice now being put up outside the study room with all course reps’ details! A printer has now been made available on the lower ground for students to use.

Physics – Reps have ensured a change has been made to the presentation of worked examples as they were previously too long and disorganised. Formula sheets have also been included in past exam papers on Blackboard!

Arts – students are enjoying the seminar led modules as it engages students quite well!

Media Communication and Journalism – Reps have worked hard to ensure assessment criteria are made clear and specific as opposed to a general criteria, and have stressed the importance of having clear information sent out before exams.

Natural Science – Course reps raised an issue with timetable clashes which have been sorted and have ensured that this is checked for the next year so that it is not repeated! Reps also raised an issue with feedback visibility when accessing the Group Grant proposal Marks, and this has been resolved through changing the submission to Blackboard for better access!

Psychology – Hassan and Vlad have been working incredibly hard to rebrand the Careers page on Blackboard to make it more easier and comprehensive for students to access! Year 2 Course Reps have been able to gather feedback from a survey sent to their cohort on new topics and students’ opinions which has been a good way of gathering opinions from their coursemates!

If you have any more success stories or would like to get involved in Representation, head to the Students’ Union website or contact coursereps@le.ac.uk.

Education Update (December 2023)

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 12:27:57 Z

Welcome back to our second Rep Successes for this Academic year!

Across December, your reps were working hard to ensure that positive changes were made, student voices were listened to and that staff were aware when things were going well! Lots of great things have been achieved and this blog will give you an insight into what kinds of things our reps get done! It is so important it is to give feedback to your reps – your voice really is integral to making your university experience better!

If you have any feedback you’d like to give, feel free to contact your school or course reps. You can find out who they are here! (If the link does not work for you, please email coursereps@le.ac.uk)

Key Success Spotlight:

Building on all their hard work across November, our reps have been making great improvements all over the University! From making lectures more engaging in Criminology, to getting students access to the correct Blackboard pages in Natural Sciences your reps have been working closely with staff and students to implement positive change!

Just to spotlight a few successes in December:

HyPIR reps, in the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, worked with staff to revive the departmental Instagram account, which is now being run by one of the School Reps.

Meanwhile, over in the College of Life Sciences, Psychology reps managed to get the library printers fixed!

Finally, in the College of Science and Engineering, reps from Physics flagged a deadline on Blackboard as being incorrect and this has now been fixed, and staff have also set up a General Info Blackboard site after reps requested this given student interest.

Other Success Highlights!

You can find out more specifically about what successes have happened in your school– your School Reps should be in touch to share good things that have happened in a College-Specific update!

Our Education Officer Prachi would also like to share another success for students:

With the help of key stakeholders within the Students' Union and University, I am thrilled to announce that Fees and Income drop-in sessions are due to start every Thursday starting from 25th January 2024.

The schedule for now is as follows:

25th January-8th February the drop in will be held in the Training Room in the Percy Gee. There will be some changes in the room across February – if you have any questions please contact pb374@leicester.ac.uk. The timing for the sessions are 12pm-2pm.

If you have any more success stories or would like to get involved in Representation, head to the Students’ Union website or contact coursereps@le.ac.uk.

Education Update (November 2023)

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 12:24:31 Z

Welcome to our first Education update of this new Academic Year! So far this semester, we have been working hard making sure that the representative system is reaching new levels, to allow for as much positive change as possible! This has included a refresh of Course Rep Training, a shift in the way Accreditation works, and even the expansion of the Rep roles: we now have Course, School and College Reps!

Key Successes:

The Course Reps this year have already been very busy making changes within their Course for their fellow students and we wanted to share some of their achievements so far!

In Chemistry, reps have succeeded in getting access to a dedicated website for past papers on all modules before the end of term. In Engineering, course reps have gained more support in modules for 4^th year students as well as a tutorial hand over form a lecture to encourage more interaction between different programmes in the school. In Physics, an information board has been set up on Blackboard after reps feeding back the need for it.

In History, reps have helped improve the curriculum to create a greater balance between course credit and workload and the HYPIR School Reps are helping with the school’s social media to work on improving student engagement and increasing the communication between staff and students about events run by the school. In the School of Arts, reps were happy with the improvements made to the Victorian Studies module to use more inclusive language. In PGT Business, following concerns from reps, 10-minute breaks have been introduced into long lectures and presentation timings are being adjusted for next year to avoid clashes.

In Healthcare, work is being done on timetabling for their Wellbeing Café for first years to make it more accessible to students. In Natural Sciences, staff are working on giving more structure to lectures so that students can follow though easily after rep feedback. In Psychology, there has been positive feedback on the content warnings implemented by the school as well as the revisions sessions run by staff.

Other Success Highlights!

School of Arts - Positive feedback on the supplementary materials for the Victorian Studies module, students are happy with the improvements made to use more inclusive language

PGT Business – changes to timing of presentations have been made for next year to avoid clashes and set 10-minute breaks have been introduced for long lecturers

Economics – glossary of terminology to be sent to students in their 1^st year, as they get used to new terminology used by lecturers. Year 2 students have asked for more resources to better prepare them for careers, which the school will look into.

Chemistry – a dedicated website for past papers of all modules will be accessible before the end of term for students

Computer Science – staff to release a completely transparent signposting on what spaces are available, when and to whom

Criminology – Course Reps are suggesting improvements to the Personal Tutor system. In general, students are enjoying their modules and the interactive styles of their lecturers

Education – Students have received more clarity on the E-Portfolio and what is meant by engagement with lecture notes, and blackboard access restrictions have been resolved

Engineering – Course Reps given a tutorial session hand over to encourage students to communicate with others outside of their friendship group and programmes. Students have received more support in their 4^th year modules which has been very helpful.

Geography – improving the reading list and literature support for Human Geography as well as an improvement to the assessment turnaround times

Healthcare – working on timetabling the Wellbeing Café for first years pre placement as well as working on extending the opening time of RKCSB

HYPIR – Course reps are helping with making improvements to the History curriculum to prevent an imbalance between course credit and workload amount. School reps are now helping with the HYPIR social media to work on student engagement and increase comms between students and events run by HYPIR.

Law – Physical and electronic noticeboard with course reps and their contact emails to improve the visibility of course reps

MCS - Past question papers for SY1021 released for students

Museum Studies – Students are receiving more assessment support and students will get more time to work on presentation skills

Natural Science – Staff working on more structure in the lecturers so that students can follow through easily

Physics – Clarity given on the January Examinations after conflicting information was given. More logistical information will be provided for PA70912 projects. General info board set up on the new BB after requests from students.

Psychology – Course reps received positive feedback on the content warnings implemented by the school and revision sessions were useful

STEM – Students found the release of past papers helpful and wanted more. Staff are working on a better middle ground for Mathematics. Staff working on potentially having a focus group for to improve certain module handbooks

If you have any more success stories or would like to get involved in Representation, head to the Students’ Union website or contact coursereps@le.ac.uk.

Education Update (July 23)

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 11:31:46 +0100

Welcome to the next Education Update – as we come closer to the end of the Academic Year, it is a great moment to look back and reflect on the positive impact our reps have had (and are continuing to have!)

If you have any feedback, feel free to contact your school or course reps. You can find out who they are here! (If the link does not work for you, please email coursereps@le.ac.uk)

Academic Rep Wins

Our reps have been hard at work across the year, listening to students, raising their concerns, and working passionately to make change – the following are highlights of their exceptional and excellent work!

Teaching Spaces and Environments were a hot topic for reps, who reported a range of issues, problems with lecture materials, unsuitable lecture rooms and technology that wasn’t working. Reps worked hard with staff to make change in these areas – and resulted in wins like reps in Chemistry getting access to archive recordings of lectures where current recordings were missing or had failed, making sure the Attenborough Film Theatre wasn’t used for Criminology lectures again, and that module convenors being reminded to provide paper handouts in sessions in Biological Science.

When it came to timetabling, reps from across the university were proactive at raising their concerns. With several Schools dealing with issues about time between lectures (especially between far off locations, like Brookfield and the Sir Bob Burgess building); reps were integral to ensuring that lectures finished on time, and travel time was taken into consideration when drawing up the timetable, resulting in improved timetables in Semester 2, especially in the Schools of Engineering, MCS and Business.

Reps were also hugely important when it came to a number of successes regarding Assessment and Feedback. Reps from Geography, Geology and the Environment noted that exams and rubrics needed to be clearer, resulting in marking criteria being provided for all modules, as well as the creation of clearer rubrics. Psychology reps raised issues with exam duration multiple times, and helped to make sure that the time was extended. They also had an impact on changing a deadline for an assessment that had been disrupted by strike action. Other reps – from across CSSAH, including Museum Studies and HYPIR – were grappling with issues with feedback, including feedback turnaround times, and where to get feedback verbally from staff. Their hard work clearly paid off, with staff committing to better communication about how feedback should be received, and improving the quality of that feedback too. Museum Studies staff also implemented a 200-word minimum for feedback directly following on from rep feedback!

Reps were also bringing issues about Teaching and Learning too – reps had a number of great success when raising this topic! Chemistry students raised concerns about the deadlines for their practicals, and staff responded by removing blackboard tests and making clear that in future, there was potential for labs not to be longer than 3 hours. Biological Science reps also made it clear that students wanted more guidance on their project assignments, and staff responded by putting a dedicated discussion board on Blackboard, so that students could access appropriate support. Criminology reps gained clarity – which they could take back to students – about the shake-up with the dissertation module, which had left students confused about when their supervisors would be allocated.

Blackboard was another area targeted by reps for improvement. Geography, Geology and Environment reps ensured that blackboard would be organised in a week-by-week structure going forward, while at the same time and, over in Business, reps helped staff to improve the layout and usefulness of Infohub.

Reps also put lots of hard work into improving the general university experience for students! From helping to improve knowledge of sessions about Master’s study in the Arts, to gaining detailed help about careers support for International Students in Business, our reps were all about improving our students’ time at university. Reps also achieved wins like moving the Geography Printer to a room that was accessible at all times, and getting the Bennett Building vending machine fixed. MCS reps in particular were focused on improving the sense of community in the school, setting up an informal social to help students get to know each other, after raising their concerns with staff. Healthcare reps were similarly proactive in working with staff to find solutions to the funding gap that exists for students as their courses finish later in the academic year.

Throughout the year, your reps have been hard at work, listening to your issues and concerns, taking them to staff, and working towards practical and useful solutions! Hopefully this update has helped you to see all the positive changes reps have made across this year – and shows how much difference reps have made, and will continue to do next year!

Wider Academic Wins

There have been so many amazing projects and events that have taken place over this Academic year – this is just a selection of the biggest changes that have happened!

We helped to make changes to the Assessment Policy, based off student voice and feedback from Academic Rep Forums and the TEF Student Survey. This included:
- Assessment maps communicated to students at the start of the academic year.
- Movement away from 100% exams/assessments
- Variations in assessment types to replicate assessments after university
- Clear rubrics and in module assessment guidelines
Students were frustrated by the University’s Working Hours Policy, which meant that students could only work 15 hours. Now this has been extended to 20 hours!
When it was announced that the Natural Sciences programme was closing, we helped the student reps for the course to stay in the conversation about how to keep elements of the programme going forward.
Senate Regulation 11 (Academic) has been updated to reflect a more supportive approach. This included the removal of Poor Academic Practice and sanctions to introduce ‘Minor’, ‘Moderate,’ and ‘Major’. This also helped to simplify the process for students, and the removal of fines are they are not appropriate for academic conduct issues
We hosted a very successful Students’ Union Awards to recognise all the hard work and excellence of our reps! It was a great night, and the perfect opportunity to show off the positive changes made by our reps and other student leaders.
We have put in place a Postgraduate Strategy to improve our engagement with postgraduate students – as we know there is work to be done here.
We have also worked to get an SU tab on Blackboard, in order to ensure that students know where to find what we offer!
Work with the Medicine School reps has resulted in a Medics Destress – in order to help extend our events to be as inclusive as possible, especially as exam timetables meant that medics missed out on our previous Destress offering!
We have also made a Glossary of key academic terms for students, which will be published by the academic year.
As part of our work with Postgraduate students, we have created a PGR Rep role description in order to help formalise the position, and on the advice of the PGR reps themselves!
We have also worked to help implement more regular and consistent Content Warnings to improve student experience.

Education Update (March 23)

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 14:55:16 +0100

Education Update [March 23]

Welcome to the next Education Update – now we’re heading into our Easter break, with exams and assessments deadlines on the horizon, it would be a great time to reflect on all the great things our Academic Reps have been getting up to!

If you have any feedback, feel free to contact your school or course reps. You can find out who they are here! (If the link does not work for you, please email coursereps@le.ac.uk)

Academic Rep Wins

Your reps have:

Biological Science reps wanted more guidance on their project assignments, and helped to put in place a dedicated discussion section on Blackboard so students can find appropriate support
Business course reps questioned travel time between sessions, which resulted in the timetable making allowances for the time it takes to walk between Brookfield and the main campus
Chemistry course reps raised concerns about deadlines for practicals, and staff responded by informing students of changes made and, including removing blackboard tests and the potential for labs no longer than 3 hours
Criminology course reps helped to get additional signposting and materials on Blackboard for module with unclear lectures
Engineering PGT course reps questioned their timetabling, leading to improved timetables in semester 2
English course reps gained information about feedback turnaround time, after raising issues
Geography and Geology course reps have managed to get the printer fixed and moved to a more accessible location
Healthcare course reps gained confirmation about IPad provision, which was causing stress amongst students
HYPIR course reps ensured that term date information is available on Blackboard, making sure to highlight the exam period
MCS PGT course reps helped to secure a Media element to their careers fair, to make it useful for all students
MCS Undergraduate course reps encouraged staff to expand first year reading lists to help scaffold students’ own academic development
Natural Science course reps brought to attention issues around referencing, gaining clarity, and leading to changes being made to the assignment information for next year
Physics course reps gained assurances regarding more in-depth feedback in a module and some general movement in assignment deadlines
Psychology course reps worked with staff to get an essay deadline moved in the face of strike disruption

Wider Academic Wins

Updating the Calculator Policy
The Reps have spoken – the Calculator policy needs to be changed! AnneMarie is working with the University to make sure we have a calculator policy that fits what students need for their studies.

Improvements to Blackboard
Blackboard is getting even better! Your newest modules will be first in your feed, with previous modules at the bottom. This is as well as the aesthetic changes that will make Blackboard look as good as ever!

Medics Destress
Medicine students are helping us shape our Medics Destress – we want to make sure that all our students can access our great and exciting opportunities at times that suit their busy schedules. This means that we are making sure that Medics are included in our Destress activities by hosting our events around their exams!