UEA Student Experience2012

ContentsIntroduction Pg5

PART 1: ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE:Feedback Pg7AcademicSupport Pg10LearningResources Pg12TheDegradationofMusicExperience Pg14UEALondon Pg16StudentRepresentation Pg17PostGraduateExperience Pg18

PART 2: STUDENT WELFARE:InternationalStudentExperience Pg20AccessAgreement Pg22Employability Pg23

APPENDIX 1: AHP ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK FORM

THISSTUDENTEXPERIENCEREPORTWASWRITTENBYTHEUNIONOFUEASTUDENTS’FULLTIMEOFFICERS.

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IntroductionAuniversityshouldbeaplacewhereaspirationsarelimitless,wherestudentsarefreetoinvestigateallmannerofthingsandlearnfrombothsuccessandfailure.Highereducationshouldbelikelife–it’swhatyoumakeofitthatdeterminesyourexperience-withtheuniversityprovidingeveryopportunityforastudenttofulfiltheirpotential.Somestudentswantanintenseacademicexperiencefuelledbylatenightlibrarysessionsandengaginglectures.Otherswantamoresocialexperienceinvolvingthemselvesinsocietiesandsportsclubs.Othersfallsomewhereinthemiddle.

UEAwasfoundedonthemottoof‘DoDifferent’thefoundingViceChancellor,FrankThistlethwaite,wasvisionaryinhisidealsofhowauniversityshouldberun.Encouraginginterdisciplinarystudyofcontemporarysubjects,enablingstudentstomakethemostoutofwhatoneultimatelyrealisesisanalltoobrieftimeatuniversity.

Whenoneconsidershowthehighereducationsectorhaschangedoverthelastfiftyyears-theintroductionoftuitionfeesandhowtheyhaveincreasedovertheyears,thedemiseofthepolytechnicandintroductionoftheMillion+Universities,itbecomesremarkablehowUEAhasmanagedtosticktothismotto.Asstudentsfacethemarketisationoftheireducation,andthesectorlooksaheadtouncertaintimes,itismoreimportantthaneverthatwekeepdoingdifferent,thatweexpandupontheoriginalvisiontobeattheforefrontofstudentexperience.Thatweprovideanexperienceforstudentsthatisshapedbythemandcaterstotheirneedsinawaythatnootheruniversitycanprovide.

WebelievethestudentexperiencereportshouldbeseenasatoolbytheUniversitytohelpitcontinueonapaththatseparatesthisinstitutionfromallothers,bytakingintoaccounttheviewsofamicrocosmofpeople,whoaredifferentiatedfromotherspurelybythefactthattheystudyhere,becausetheywanttheuniqueeducationalexperiencethatUEAprovides.Thesestudentsareinformed,brimmingwithideas,intelligentandhungrytoreceiveanunparallelededucation,thebestwayfortheUniversitytocontinuetoprovidethemwiththis,istolistentothem.

JoshBowkerAcademicOfficer2012/13UnionofUEAStudents

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Academic Experience

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Havinggoodandtimelyfeedbackisanimportantissuetostudentsasitenablesthemtolearnmoreeffectivelyandimprovetheiracademicskills.TheUUEAShavebeencampaigningontheissueformanyyearsnow,yetfeedbackremainstobeoneoftheprimaryconcernsofourmembers.AsonestudentinMEDputsit:

“Exam feedback has been poor on the whole. Individual feedback has been hard to obtain, which has made it hard to improve.”

OverallNSSresultsforfeedbackisslightlydownthroughouttheuniversitythisyear.HoweverinthefacultyofArtsandHumanitiesithasreallytakenahit,withseveralschools’satisfactionfallingbyover10%.

Assessment and Feedback:

FEEDBACK

HUM UEA AMS ART FTV HIS LCS LDC MUS PHI PSIThisyear%

68 72 67 61 83 68 74 53 82 68

Lastyear%

69 92 85 76 84 72 69 62 84 75

Withonlyoneschoolshowingimprovementinthisarea,wemustlookattherootcausesofthisdownturninsatisfaction,andtheNSSgivesusthisclarity;itisthepromptnessandqualityofthefeedbackthatislettingHUMdown.Indeedwhenaskediffeedbackontheirworkhadbeenpromptonly47%ofstudentsinAMSagreedcomparedto88%ofAMSstudentslastyearand62%atUEAthisyear.Whilethiswasthemostdramaticfallofsatisfactioninanyschool,mostotherschoolsreflectedthetrend.ManyHUMstudentsblametheintroductionofHUBsforthis.OnestudentintheschoolofHistorycommentedasfollows:

“At times I have not received constructive feedback on my assessments. This was true of my single semester module in the 2011/12 academic years. The creation of the new HUB admin system has also been very poorly thought out and executed. I do not feel that it fully takes into account the individual and organisational needs of the students and their module leaders. The previous system worked much better and at a fraction of the cost, the amount of time and money expended has not been repaid.”

ButitisnotjustHUMthatneedsimprovement.Intermsofquality,studentsacrosstheuniversityoftencomplainthattheirscriptsarenotannotatedandtheyonlyreceivegenericfeedbackwhichdoesnotfeelpersonalised,somefeeltheywouldbeluckytoreceiveeventhis.OneMEDstudentsaid:

“Feedback very poor. Given score but no reflection on what areas need improvement.”

Whenwecompareourselvestoother94groupinstitutions,wefallslightlybelowtheaveragesatisfactioninallaspectsoffeedback.Theonlyinstitutionthatstandsoutfromthe94GroupinthiscategoryisTheInstituteofEducation,thisisthequalityoffeedbackUEAshouldcurrentlybeaimingfor.

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ThedropinsatisfactionrecordedbytheNSSwhilestronginHUMisnotuniversitywide.ThefacultyofSocialSciencesshowedmarkedimprovementintheareaoffeedback,thoughthiswasquitelowlastyearandonlyafewschoolsarebetteroffthantheUniversityaverage.TheareainwhichSSFisstrongestintermsoffeedback,isinitspromptness,whereallschoolsbarringEDUhaveshownimprovement:

Feedback on my work has been prompt

SSF UEA CCE DEV ECO EDU LAW NBS SWPThis

year% 62 15 64 81 63 79 67 62

Lastyear% 65 10 56 74 79 69 61 58

Whilethisimprovementisanexcellentstepforward,thereisobviouslystillalotofworktobedoneinthearea,withoneSWPstudentcommenting:

“I did not feel that there was enough feedback on the marked assessments we were handed back. I know there is an option with going to see the module organiser or lecturer but I still feel more comments should appear on marked essays. Also with information on what you should have included, for example how to get the 1st that you were a few marks off.”

Andanothersaying:

“Exam feedback would be great.”

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OverallitwouldappearthatUEAhasremainedfairlystaticintheareaofassessmentandfeedback,butthisismisleading,foreveryschoolshowinggoodimprovement,thereisanotherwhichhasdeclined.Therearelessonstobelearnedacrosstheuniversityinhowtoimprovethisarea,particularlyfromtheschoolofAHP,wheresatisfactionhasshotupfrom59%lastyearto71%thisyear.

LastyearAHPbeganannotatingscriptsandalsousinganewfeedbackformwhichwasdesignedwiththecooperationofstudentsthroughtheSSLCwhichisattachedintheappendix.

UUEASwouldsuggestthatthevariedresultsacrosstheentireuniversityrepresenttheeffectoftheintegrationprojectontheissueoffeedback.TheefficiencyoftheSSFHUBingettingworkbacktostudentsinatimelyfashioncomparesfavourablywithallothers.Buttherearenootherareasinwhichanyotherfacultyhasexcelled.

UNION RECOMMENDS:

ThatallschoolsfollowtheexampleofAHPandthroughtheirSSLCsworkcollaborativelywiththeirstudentstocreateafeedbackformthatworksfortheirschool.

ThattheUniversityresearchesbestpracticefromeachHUBtodiscoverwhatmakessomeHUBsmoreefficientthanothersandcreateastandardisedcodeofpracticeforHUBs.

Thatinordertoimprovetheacademicstandardsofstudents,allfacultiesgiveexamfeedback.

ThattheUniversityinvestigateswhatcompetitoruniversitiessuchastheInstituteofEducationdoeswithregardstofeedbacktofindoutwhich,ifany,ofitspolicieswouldbeapplicablehereandhowwecanimplementthem.

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ACADEMIC SUPPORTOneareawheretheUniversityasawholehasdonewellintheNSSisacademicsupport,withUEA’saveragesatisfactionat84%amarginalincreasefrom82%lastyear.

IntheschoolofFTVwhenaskedifstudentswereabletocontactstaffwhentheyneededto91%ofstudentswereinagreementasopposedto80%lastyear.Apossiblereasonforthiscouldbethatthestaffwithintheschoolcoordinatedtomakesuretheirofficehoursdidnotclashandthatamemberofstaffwouldalwaysbeavailableifastudentrequireshelp.Itissmallconsiderationslikethisthatmakeabigdifferencetostudent’slives.Butwhile90%ofUEAstudentsagreethatstaffwerereadilyavailableonly81%feelthattheyreceivedsufficientadviceontheirstudies.Whileonthefaceofitthismaynotseemamatterforconcern,nineschoolsshowedover5%decreaseinsatisfactioninthisareaandthishasledtosomestudentssuchasthisonefromDEVfeelingunsupported:

“I also think the adviser system should be improved. Both of my advisers have not been well suited to me and I have not connected to them. This has led me to sometimes feel limited support from the department and unsure who to turn to for proper academic support.”

Butmanystudentsareawareofthepressuresthatareputonadministrativestaffandacademicsandarenotonlysympatheticbutappreciativeofthesupporttheyreceive,asthisLDCstudentputsit:

“In terms of positive aspects I think third year modules are very well designed and teaching staff are very enthusiastic. The support given by the overburdened member of the administrative staff were excellent.”

Support for students not on campus

Oneareathatistrickytodealwithissupportingstudentswhoarenotoncampus.Studentswhoareonplacement,ortakingayearinindustryorayearabroadoftenfeelliketheyarenotapartoftheuniversity,andarenotproperlysupported.Hereiswhatacrosssectionofstudentshavesaidaboutsupportwhiletheywerenotoncampus:

“The support I received on placement was incredibly poor; in fact, the best way to describe it is completely disgusting.” NSC

“With regard to the year of industry or Year Abroad there wasn’t sufficient support. The support was there but improvement could be made.” ENV

“There was no support or guidance that year [the year in industry].” CHE

“I have had some difficulties with contacting university staff when I need them, on the whole they have been good but on a few occasions I felt a lack of support. I had one bad placement which I contacted the uni about via my link lecturer. I felt I had no support or back up from the uni even when I knew what was going on was unsafe. AA’s are a very good idea, as long as you get along as this makes things difficult!” NSC

ItisimportanttoensurethateventhoughthesestudentsarenotoncampusthattheystillfeelapartoftheUniversity,andshouldbeabletoaccessproperacademicsupportaseasilyasiftheywereoncampus.Themostlogicalandsimplewaywouldbetoinvestigatehowmediatechnologycouldaidthis.10

UNION RECOMMENDS:

ThatallschoolsexaminetheissueofadvisorsandfindawaytocoordinateofficehoursinmuchthesamewayFTVhavedonesothatanadvisorisalwaysavailabletostudents.

ThattheUniversity,inpartnershipwiththeUnion,researchintohowbesttosupportstudentswhoarenotstudyingoncampusandimplementnecessarychanges.

ThattheUniversitylooksintosettingupaformofconferencecallingadvisorsessionsforstudentswhoarenotoncampusinorderforthemtobeabletotalktotheiradvisorsfacetoface.

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LEARNING RESOURCESLearningresourcesreceivedan8%boostinsatisfactiontakingitfrom78%to86%thisyearwith18schoolsgettingscoresequaltoorabovetheUEAaverage.

Fromthedataitiseasytoputitassimplyasthismusicstudenthasdone:

“The library is amazing at UEA.”

Indeed,thelibraryistobecommendedonhowhighlyitisratedbyUEAstudentswithanoverallsatisfactionof89%,16schoolsgaveitscoresofover90%.Whenwecomparethistoother94Groupinstitutions,UEAwasoutdonebyonly5othersandscoredbetterthantheUniversitiesofYork,QueenMary’s,Durham,andExeterwhichwereallpromotedtotheRussellGroup.OnestudentinPSIwassopleasedwiththeLibrarythattheyclaimedtheywouldlikemembershippost-graduation:

“The library is very good, I’d like to be able to access it post-university and I wouldn’t mind paying for the privilege.”

TheLibraryisobviouslykeentokeepthisupwardtrendgoing,andhasbeenfantasticinengagingwithstudentsfindingoutwhattheywantandcateringtotheirneeds.TheLibrary’sattendanceatSSLCshasbeensignificantinthemacquiringfeedbackfromstudents.Thisissurelyamajorfactorinthisincreaseofsatisfactionalongwith24houropeningtimes,whichwearepleasedtohearwillbecontinuing.

Inthepastoneofthemajorcomplaintsstudentsmadeofthelibrarywastheavailabilityoflibrarycomputers.AsthisFTVstudentclaimed:

“Library resources aren’t as great as they should be in terms of books and computers.”

Intermsofbookprovisionstudentswhoaredissatisfiedappeartobeintheminority.AlthoughintheschoolofEducationitappearstobemuchmoreofaproblem,astheNSSscoresshow:

EDUNSSResults2012

Learningresources

16.Thelibraryresourcesandservicesaregoodenoughformyneeds.

17.IhavebeenabletoaccessgeneralITresources

whenIneededto.

18.Ihavebeenabletoaccessspecialisedequipment,facilitiesor

roomswhenIneededto.

EDU%Agreethisyear 73 66 78 74

EDU%Agreelastyear 76 84 79 66

UEA%AgreethisYear 86 89 84 83

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TheproblempredominantlystemsfromthedegreeinPE&Sportwheremanyofthestudentsfeelthelibraryisunderresourcedbecausetheyareonlyasmallcohort.HereiswhatafewoftheEDUstudentshavesaid:

“Lack of library resources made getting reading materials very difficult. More pressure needs to be placed so there are more copies of books and online resources are readily available in the future.”

“The library resources for this course have been poor and due to it being a small cohort there are not many sport books in the library and those that are only have 1/2 copies!”

Onapositivenote,NSSresultsonITprovisionhaverisenby10%to84%bringingourscoreinlinewiththerestofthe94Group,wherelastyearwewereoneoftheweakerinstitutions(thisincludesthefourinstitutionspromotedthisyear),manyoftheopencommentsstillclaimweneedmore.SuchasthesestudentsfromPhilosophyandLawrespectively:

“The computers in the library can be extremely hard to get on after 11 a.m. In the end I had to buy myself a laptop so I could do essays in between lectures.”

“Printing in the library is a real trouble when in a rush. The computers are also very slow. In a couple of courses materials posted on Blackboard was very disorganised which was difficult to follow especially during revision period”

StudentsoftencomplaintoUUEASaboutmisuseoftheLibrary’sITresources,especiallyduringtheexamperiodandwhendeadlinesarecloseandworkneedstobeprinted.Thesourceofthismisuseisusuallysocialmediasites.Therecouldbeseveralsolutionstothiswithoutresortingtoadrasticoverarchingbanonsocialmedia,asthiswouldbeunfairtostudent’swhodonothavecomputeraccessoutsidetheUniversity.PerhapssegregatedareasintheITfacilitiesinwhichsocialmediasitesarebanned,orcertaintimeswhentheycannotbeaccessed.

Outofourcompetitorsinthe94GroupthreeUniversitieshavedoneexceedinglywell;Bath,York,andLoughboroughwithsatisfactionscoresof92%,92%,and91%respectively.IftheUniversityislookingtoincreaseourITprovision,thesearetheinstitutionsweshouldbenchmarkourselvesagainst.

UNION RECOMMENDS

ThattheUniversityinvestsinITfacilities,butbeforedoingsoinvestigatestheITprovisionincomparableinstitutionsthathaveoutperformedustodiscoverwhat,ifany,themajordifferencesare.

ThatthelibraryinvestigateswaysinwhichtoreducesocialmediauseinitsITfacilities.

Thatschoolsattachalibraryfeedbacksectiontotheirmodulefeedbackformssothatitcanbebetterindicatedwherelibraryresourcesarefallingshort.

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THE DEGRADATION OF MUSIC EXPERIENCE

Notunexpectedly,theschoolwiththelargestdecreaseinsatisfactionwasMusic.Withthepotentialclosureoftheschoolannouncedatthebeginningoftheyear,andconfirmedswiftlyafterwards,studentexperiencewasnecessarilyaffecteddetrimentally.

OverallsatisfactionintheschoolofMusichasfallenfrom88%lastyearto46%.IthasbeeninferredthattheinitiationoftheW350Music&Technologycourseputstrainontheschool,orthatstudentsprotestingtotheclosuredecidedtolambasttheuniversitythroughtheeasiestoutletavailabletothem,theNSS.Butevenincombinationthisdoesnotaccountforsuchadramaticturninfortune.Theclosuremustbeheldpartiallyresponsible.

Thefeelingseemstobesummedupbestbythiscomment:

“In New Year, they announced they were closing the Music Department down. This meant losing staff that moved elsewhere. Moral went right down as it seemed our course had taken a back seat. It’s like the university didn’t care about the department or course. Not due to the Music Department itself who were excellent but others elsewhere trying to save money.”

Thiscomment,andItsreferencetoafeelingofbeingdevaluedgoessomewaytoexplainingMusic’spersonaldevelopmentscoresontheNSS:

MUSNSSResults2012

Personaldevelopment

19.Thecoursehashelped

metopresentmyselfwithconfidence.

20.Mycommunication

skillshaveimproved.

21.Asaresultofthecourse,Ifeelconfidentintacklingunfamiliarproblems.

MUS%Agreethisyear 65 60 69 65

MUS%Agreelastyear 88 88 88 88

UEA%Agreethisyear 84 83 86 84

Inparticular,confidenceandtacklingunfamiliarproblemsareareaswhichonewouldexpecttohavebeenaffectedbytheclosure.Theatmosphereofmistrustthathasbeenbuildingintheschool,whichisdirectedtowardsthoseinpositionsofpowerisadversetobuildingconfidence.Whileoneshouldalwaysbewillingtoquestionpower,acertainamountoffaithinthesystemisneededorelsehealthyrelationscannotbemaintained.ThisfaithseeminglynolongerexistswithinMusicandcouldhaveaffectedstudent’sfaithinthemselvesaswellasthesystem.ThismaybedowntothewaytheUniversityrejectedtoinvestigatethefeasibilityofkeepingthedepartmentopenaftermusicstudentsworkedincrediblyhardtonotonlycreateandsuggestwaysinwhichthedepartmentcouldkeeprunning,butalsotoacquireoutsideexperthelp.14

Theotherareathatonewouldexpecttobeaffectedisthatofteaching.Withonestaffmemberleavingmidwaythroughtheyearandantherannouncingtheywouldnotbereturningfromsabbaticalleaveattheendoftheyearthereislittlemysteryastowhythescoreshavegonedownsomuch.Itseemsillogicalthatthequalityofteachingstaffcouldhavefallenfromsuchheightsinjustoneyear.

MUSNSSRESULTS2012

Theteachingonmycourse

1.Staffaregoodatexplainingthings.

2.Staffhavemadethesubject

interesting.

3.Staffareenthusiasticaboutwhattheyareteaching.

4.Thecourseis

intellectuallystimulating.

MUS%Agreethis

year80 73 88 81 77

MUS%Agreelast

year98 92 100 100 100

UEA%Agreethisyear 91 93 88 92 90

Goingintothefinaltwoyearsoftheschoolitisimperativethatthesefiguresdonotslidefurtherlestitdevaluethedegreesoftheremainingcohorts.Itwouldbeunfaironthestudentstohavesigneduptoahighlyrankedschoolandreceiveteachingthatmightbedeemedtobesecondrate.Whilstsomestaffhavebeenrecruitedbytheschooltoreplacetheoutgoinglecturers,theUnionstillhasreservationsastohowthiswillaffectteachingquality.IntheopencommentssectionoftheNSSonestudentdirectlyattributedthefallinteachingqualitytotheclosure:

“Since the school closure has been announced, the standard of teaching has fallen through the floor.”

Itisimperativethattheremainingstudentsdonotsitidlybyiftheyfeelthattheirteachingissuffering,butduetothemistrustoftheinstitutionthattheschoolholdsthestudentsmayfeeldeterredfromapproachingstaffwiththeirconcerns.

UNION RECOMMENDS

Thattheuniversityensuresthatstudentrepresentationintheschoolofmusicisapriorityandrunsasefficientlyaspossibletoensurethatanyissuesaredealtwithrapidlyandeffectively.

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UEA LONDONWeunderstandthattherehavebeendifficultieswithUEAstudentsusingtheCityUniversityUnionservicesthisyear.UUEASundertookasmallsurveyofUEALondonstudentsinwhichonly10%ofrespondentsagreedthattherehavebeenenoughactivitiesatUEALondon.Respondentsshowedacleardesireformorestudentactivities,withover50%sayingtheywouldliketostartasociety,andover20differentactivitiesweresuggested.Thereisacleardesireforsportingactivity;theUnion’sRepresentationandActivitiesCoordinatorhasalreadymadegoodprogressinthecreationofsportsclubsandbuildinglinkswithlocalclubs,withthemainbarrierbeingfundingfortravel,leaguesubscription,equipmentandothergeneralexpenses.BothstudentactivitiesandrepresentationarekeytodeliveringaqualitystudentexperiencecomparabletothatofstudentsstudyingontheNorwichcampus.TheUnionhassubmittedaproposaltoimprovestudentactivitiesattheLondonStudyCentre.

UNION RECOMMENDS

ThattheUniversityacceptstheUnion’sproposalfortheexpansionofUnionServicesatUEALondon.Webelievethatthiswillhaveasignificantimpactonstudentsatisfactionandgoodhonours,aswellasmakingUEALondonamoreattractiveprospectforpotentialstudentsandthereforeimprovingstudentnumbers.WebelievethatourproposaloffersgreatvalueformoneyfortheUniversityandINTO.

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STUDENT REPRESENTATIONLastyeartheUnionrecruitedaround300coursereps.However,thesystemisstillsomewhatcumbersome,withsomeschoolsbuyingintostudentrepresentationmorethanothers.Thevalueofstudentrepresentationshouldbeself-evident.ItactsasaqualityassurancemechanismaddressingstudentconcernsinSSLCs,itisaneasywayfortheUniversitytofindoutwhatisgoingonintheirschools,andhowstudentsfeelabouttheircourses.

InorderforrepresentationtobeatitsmosteffectivetheUnionneedstobeinvolvedfromtheoutset.LastyearthelackofcommunicationbetweenschoolsandtheUnionledtoonly54repsbeingtrainedoutofthe291knownreps(thereweresomeschoolswhichdidnoteveninformusofwhotheirrepsare).

Afterobtainingdetailsofreps,itisalsoimportantthattheUnionbegiventheagendaandminutesandhaveapresenceonSSLCs.ThisenablestheUniontohaveabetterunderstandingofwhatissuesstudentsarefacing,andwhatweshouldbecampaigningon,andworkingtowards,tobetterserveourmembers.

UNION RECOMMENDS

ThatallschoolsabidebytheUniversity’scodeofpracticeforSSLCsandengagewiththeUniontoenhancetheskillsoftheirstudentreps,thusmakingSSLCsmoreefficientintacklinganyproblemstheschoolmaybefacing.

ThattheUniversityprovidesfundingforthepostofAcademicQualityAssuranceCoordinatorwithintheUniontoenabletheUUEAStobuildamoreeffectivecourserepresentationsystem.

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POST GRADUATE EXPERIENCEDrSreeparnaGhosh’sreportonthePRESlastyearandPTESthisyeararetellingonthestateofpostgraduatestudyatUEA.ItisevidentthatDrGhosh’srecommendationsfromthe2011PREShavenotbeenactedupon.PGsstillfeelalevelofdisassociationwiththeUniversityandtheUnionwhichaffectstheiroverallexperience.ItisdifficultforPGs,especiallymastersstudents,tofeellikeapartoftheUniversitywhenitdoessolittletoaccommodatethem.Postgraduatestudyspaceisatapremiumandtheonlysocialspacecurrentlyavailabletothemisthegraduatesbar.InboththePRESandPTES,aswellasatarecentmeetingoftheGSA,PGsconsistentlyexpressedadesireforboththesethings.TheuseofElizabethFrybuildingasthePGHUBhasalsoledtoafeelingofdecentralisationfromthestudent’sownfacultyorgraduateschool.IfPGshadacentralisednon-alcoholicspacetocomplimentthegraduatesbaritcouldleadtoagreaterfeelingofidentitywithinthePGcommunity.ItwouldalsofacilitatethedesireofmanyPGstudentsforintegrationwithPGsfromotherfacultiesandtoholdcolloquialseminars.

Anotherissueisthatpost-vivaPhDstudentsnolongerhaveaccesstotheirUEAemailaccountorthelibraryeventhoughtheyhavecorrectionstodo.Thiscreatesdifficultiesaseventhoughtheycanaccessthelibraryasavisitortheydonothaveaccesstocertaine-journals.

UNION RECOMMENDS

ThattheUniversityextendPhDstudentsemailaccountandlibraryaccesspost-vivainordertohelpthemwhenmakingcorrections.

ThattheUniversityinvestinanon-alcoholicspacewhichcanbeasocialhubforPGstudentswheretheymayholdcolloquialseminarsandmeetwithPGsfromotherschoolsandfaculties.

ThattheUniversityinvestincreatingextrastudyspacewhichisexclusivelyfortheuseofpostgraduates.

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Student Welfare

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENTEXPERIENCE

FromtheresultsoftheNSS,internationalstudentsseemhappyingeneralwiththeirUniversityexperience,andtheUniversityshouldbecommendedforthis.However,theUniversityshouldaccountforthepossibilityofculturalbiaswhenevaluatingtheseresultsincomparisonwithBritishstudents.

TheNSSshowsusthattheUniversityservicethatinternationalstudentsaremosthappywithisthelibrary:

InternationalStudentsNSSResults2012

Learningresources

16.Thelibraryresourcesandservicesaregoodenoughformyneeds.

17.IhavebeenabletoaccessgeneralITresourceswhenI

neededto.

18.Ihavebeenabletoaccessspecialisedequipment,facilitiesor

roomswhenIneededto.

IS%AgreeThisYear 88 89 90 87

IS%AgreeLastYear 82 85 82 80

All%AgreeThisYear 86 89 84 83

Thelibraryhasbeenexcellentinrespondingtotheneedsofitsstudents,takingconsultationandestablishingdialoguewiththeStudents’Uniontoenhancetheirunderstandingofstudentneeds.

Areasthattheuniversityhasfounditsscoresdeclining,worryingly,areintheactualteachingofcourses.

InternationalStudentsNSSResults2012

Theteachingonmycourse

1.Staffaregoodatexplainingthings.

2.Staffhavemadethesubject

interesting.

3.Staffareenthusiasticaboutwhattheyareteaching.

4.Thecourseis

intellectuallystimulating.

IS%Agreethisyear 86 92 76 90 84

IS%Agreelastyear 90 94 84 95 87

ALL%Agreethisyear 91 93 88 92 90

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Thelearningexperienceofinternationalstudentshasdeclinedsomewhatdramaticallyfromthepreviousyear.Iflecturershavealackofenthusiasmandlittleabilitytomakethesubjectinteresting,internationalstudentsarelikelytobedisengagedfromtheirstudies.Thiswillmostlikelyleadtoadeclineinacademicgradesandfewerstudentsachievinggoodhonours.

UNION RECOMMENDS

ThattheUniversityworksinpartnershipwiththeUnion,followingthelibrary’sexample,toencourageinternationalstudentstoengagewiththeUnion’scourserepresentatives.Bydoingso,internationalstudentswillbeabletoflaguptheproblemstheyarehaving,whichcanthenbebroughttotheattentionofthosepeopleabletomakechangeinordertohavetheseissuesresolvedpriortothenextNSS.

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ACCESS AGREEMENTInlastyear’sstudentexperiencereportwerecommendedthattheUniversityreconsideritsweightingofwideningparticipationexpendituretofavourcashbursariesandaccommodationdiscountsoverfeediscounts.WewerehappytoseetheUniversityreviseitsAccessAgreementtogiveeligiblestudentsthechoicebetweenfeewaivers,cashbursariesandaccommodationdiscounts,followingfurtherdiscussionswiththeViceChancellor.

Feediscountsareinasenseanotionalformofsupportforstudents,inthatstudentsonlybenefitfromthisdiscountwhentheyareearningenoughtopayofftheirloansaftertheygraduate.Cashbursaries,orbetteryetaccommodationdiscounts,providefinancialsupportforstudentswhoneeditwhilsttheyarestudying.

UNION RECOMMENDS

ThattheUniversitytakesmeasurestoexplainthenotionalnatureoffeediscounts,andhowotherformsoffinancialsupportarefarmorebeneficialtostudentswhiletheyarestudying.

ThatfinancialsupportoutlinedintheAccessAgreement2013/14shouldgivestudentsthechoiceonlybetweencashbursariesoraccommodationdiscounts.

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EMPLOYABILITYEmployabilitycontinuestobeafocalpointofstudentconcerns.Onaverage,831graduatesapplyforeachgraduatepositionavailableand,assuch,theneedforaconcentratedeffortonincreasingourstudent’semployabilityissignificant.

TheNSSprovidedamixedarrayofresponsesontheissueofcareersandemployability,whichsuggeststhatwhilstsomestudentsembracetheemployabilityagendaofbothUEAandtheUnion,westillleavesomegroupsbehind.Inlinewithpreviousyears,91%ofAHPstudentsunderstoodhowtheirplacementyearfittedintotheirbroadercourserequirementwhichsuggeststhatthisschoolissuccessfulatprovidingworkplacementswhicharebothrelevantandengaging.AHP’splacementsystemwhichdiffersfromthoseofotherUniversity’sAHPcoursesgoessomewaytoexplainingthis.Ratherthandoingfewer,longerplacements,studentsatUEAundertakesixshorterplacements,learningvariedskillsfromacrossdifferentpartsoftheprofession.Itseemslogicaltosuggestthatthisoverarchingexperiencecreatesawiderknowledgeofthesectorandenablesastudenttomakeabetterinformeddecisionofwhattheywouldliketodooncetheyhavegraduated.TheforwardthinkingofAHPandtheirinventivestructuringofplacementsshouldbesomethingthatotherschoolstakeonboardwhenassessingtheirownplacementstructures.

AsthereisnoquestiondirectlylinkedtoemployabilityintheNSS,wedonothaveagreatdealofdatatoevaluate,butthroughtheUnion’sannualstudentsurvey(ASS)wehavegainedalittledataaswellassomestudentsprovidingopenfeedbackontheissueofemployabilityandexamplesofthisarebelow:

“Very good facilities and support academically. Set me up very well for employability.” BIO

“Perhaps not enough emphasis on what to do after completing the degree (e.g. CVs, job applications etc.)” ENV

“There was not enough support or help when trying to decide what to do in the future, or what to do with my course after graduating.” LAW

WhatwefoundoutintheASSisthat69%ofthestudentswhorespondedbelievethemostimportantfactorforprogressionfromuniversityisrelevantworkexperience/internshipsand87%believeitisoneofthethreemostimportantfactors.Interestinglywhenaskedtoindicatethetopthreefactorsonly10%ofrespondentsansweredcommunityvolunteeringand4%indicatedtheythoughtvolunteeringintheUnionwasimportant.However,astheUniversityisworkingwithusonimprovingthewaysinwhichwecanimprovestudentskillsthroughtheseoutletstheUnionknowsthattheUniversitybelievesthesetobeimportantfactorsinemployability.TheUniversityneedstoworkwiththeUniontopromotethemessagethattheskillsthatstudentsgainthroughvolunteeringandengagingwiththeUnionactivities.

TheUnionapplaudstheUniversityonbeingshortlistedforthe‘EntrepreneurialUniversityoftheYear’awardandwouldliketoreaffirmthevitalrolethatstudent-ledclubs,societiesandpeergroupsplayinenhancingstudentemployability.TheUnionofUEAStudentscurrentlyhelpsrunover200clubs,societiesandpeersupportgroups,allfocusedondevelopingstudentskillsaswellasbeingsustainable.WhilstthesegroupsmaynotbesmallenterprisesdesignedtomakeaprofitforTheUnion,theyallmustbesustainableandself-sufficient.Lastyear,wetrialledtheNUSStudentSkillsAward,howeverwedonotfeelitmadeanotableimpactuponthosethatneededitthemost.

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Webelievethatakeywayforwardforstudentemployabilityisafocusonourstudentgroups.WhilsttheUniversityhasshownasupportbyprovidingfundingforanEmployabilityjobroleintheUnionofUEAStudents,wewouldlikethistodevelopintoastrongersupportnetworkwhichengagesourstudent’sentrepreneurialinstincts,theUnion’svaluesandtheUniversity’semployabilityagenda.

UNION RECOMMENDS

ThattheUniversityworksalongsidetheUniontopromotetheimportanceofclubsandsocietiesinenhancingstudentemployability,andcontinuestosupporttheUnioninrunningextra-curriculareventswhichalsoenhanceemployability.

1http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/graduate-gloom-as-83-apply-for-every-vacancy-2303650.html

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Appendix One

ThisStudentExperienceReportwaswrittenbytheUnionofUEAStudents’FullTimeOfficers:

JoshBowkerAcademicOfficerunion.academic@uea.ac.ukext:2589

MatthewMylesCommunicationsOfficerunion.communications@uea.ac.ukext:2504

SamClarkCommunityandStudentRightsOfficerunion.community@uea.ac.ukext:3461

JoeLevellFinanceOfficerunion.finance@uea.ac.ukext:3268

JoshBowkerAcademicOfficerunion.academic@uea.ac.ukext:2589

MatthewMylesCommunicationsOfficerunion.communications@uea.ac.ukext:2504

SamClarkCommunityandStudentRightsOfficerunion.community@uea.ac.ukext:3461

JoeLevellFinanceOfficerunion.finance@uea.ac.ukext:3268

Union of UEA StudentsUnion House

UEANorwichNR4 7TJ

01603 593272

ueastudent.com

Cover photograph © UEA Image Archive

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