Jan council 2017 by Liam Fuller

WORK REPORT FROM THE EDUCATION OFFICER January 2017 Student Council 23/1/2017 1. SUMMARY 1.1. This paper is a report to the Student Council from the Education Officer outlining work done, outcomes and upcoming events since the last Council Meeting in Half Session 1 – 2016. 1.2. The paper reports on a number of matters which may be of interest to members but which might not otherwise feature on the agenda. 1.3. Further information is available from the Education Officer ausaeducation@abdn.ac.uk. 2. EDUCATION COMMITTEE

2.1. Last meeting of the Education Committee was in 2016 before the Exam period. The minutes will be made available after we have approved them at the next meeting. 2.2. We have started making plans to allow students from each school, semi-managed by each School Rep, to feedback whenever they wish through a website tool. 2.3. We have students being represented on pretty much all levels of the Senate Process and where there is only one place allocated (which would almost always be me), I’ve been lobbying for an extra place to ensure that students are at the heart of these committees and reinforcing the student voice. 2.4. The School Reps, I feel, are a very committed group of representatives and the credit they have been receiving exemplifies the success of the reforms put in place during my term to try and get the link between AUSA, School Reps and Class Reps solidified and functional on both our side and the University side.

3. MEETINGS

3.1. Since the last meeting of Council, we have had several meetings in the Senate Process and beyond; • Postgraduate Committee - Update on student numbers for 16/17 - Degree Classification - Framework for what programme & course coordinators do in their roles • OneSource Student LifeCycle - Moving forward with review & Upgrade to Student Record System; New Virtual Learning Environment consideration ongoing • Interdisciplinary Course Creation Meeting - Met with students and Vice-Principal for Teaching & learning regarding the creation of 2 sixth century courses made by students • University Committee on Teaching & Learning - TEF non-participation discussed - UCTL Task Force Group updates; Assessment & Feedback, Retention, Positive Outcomes (see below) - Info on a Digital Learning Steering Group Page 1 of 5

Important info on a policy for students who become pregnant or adopt children during their studies • Centre for Academic Development: Annual Learning Symposium Planning Meeting - Planning underway for another edition of the Symposium. This year, the event will reflect the end of the Enhancement Theme initiative and thus focus on what students are looking for as they come to graduate and what they do and where they go • Student Transitions Institutional Steering Group - As above, the Enhancement themes initiative is due to renew onto a new topic. Student Transitions has focussed on all levels of the student journey and has helped the university work on Widening Participation, Direct Entrant students, the jump between 2nd and third year and also the concept that students aren’t always students and working/volunteering/developing is something that should be supported. Work on Online, Distance and Commuting students continuing Learning and Teaching Enhancement Programme applications open this month for students to apply for funding to run a project aimed at improving student learning and teaching – email for details • Regular Catch-up sessions with senior university figures such as the Vice-Principal for Teaching & Learning and the head of Registry - Catch-ups have been not so regular of late owing to the Christmas break but have been consistent throughout the year. - We’ve ensured School Convener’s will be invited to meetings relevant to them within schools and relevant committee meetings cross-campus. • Careers Service Employer Board Meeting - Met for the first 2017 session to discuss how employers can be more involved in initiatives such as STAR & Leadership Academy • UCU Meetings - Invited for the foreseeable future to the University Union meetings to ensure students can develop understanding of staff issues and vice versa. • Student Appeals - So far, the 2016/17 Academic Year has seen a much lower number of Panel Hearings for Student Appeals and this is good! • School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition Catch-up - Had a really positive catch-up with the ‘Executive’ of what is colloquially called MegaMed. - Assurances that school has increased teaching time and are certain their measures are geared towards improving teaching not stagnating or minimising it. An action from this meeting was to ensure all School Reps and the Foresterhill Convener can attend to what will become a triennial catch-up with an open-door policy whenever issues or concerns arise. - With the Postgraduate Rep for Life Sciences and Medicine, we will be kick-starting the creation of some podcasts and learning guides on the CGS and how they relate to the marking and grading. - Establishing a better link with the School regarding advertisement of jobs for students following survey of what students want.

4. EMPLOYABILITY WEEK

4.1. Not long till our Employability Week will be back where we bring some support and help to you 4.2. LinkedIn Labs and Careers Bites are some of the few things we have got planned for the week. Page 2 of 5

5. SPEAK WEEK

5.1. Work is underway to sort out what hopes to be an excellent week in Mid-late February called Speak Week. 5.2. The week hopes to be singular opportunity for AUSA to turn itself inside out and gather opinions, feedback, collate issues, bring together concerns and assess what it means to be a student at Aberdeen. Relying on things like the National Student Survey isn’t particularly useful as it only surveys fourth/final year students. 5.3. The plan is to have information gathering events to work on gaining some good and meaningful feedback from students based on the services and areas we, AUSA, represent Students and link them back to the University. For example, Welfare, Community, Education, Activities (including both Societies and Sports Clubs). 5.4. The Class Rep Conference is being relaunched for the middle of Speak Week and will be an excellent event for reps to learn, develop and be a part of something bigger than just the representation they fulfil within their classes. 6. ELECTIONS 2017 6.1. In December 2016, I became the Elections Committee Chair and we elected 3 members of Council to sit on the committee which effectively runs the election proceedings. 6.2. The Committee has met once and has approved the Elections Timeline and official notice will be given on the 27th January in line with the Opening of the Nomination Period. 6.3. The Committee have also gone on to use the term Leadership Elections to help bolster the meaning to the student body of the Sabbatical Officer Elections. The aim is that by improving the perception of the Elections, we will be able to ensure more students are able to participate. 6.4. Our plan of action for events, support and other provisions is well underway and we are confident that we will be able to reach an increase in turnout of 2.5% which would take us to approx. 15% of the Student Body overall. Our goal appears low but since 2015, our elections have had significant increases by Students’ Association standards from 8% to 2016’s 12.5%. I believe with effective planning and marketing of the elections, we could easily see a return to the 23.4% turnout of 2012 in the next few years. 6.5. We have a Candidates Nomination Guide, Rule Book and other useful documents on the way and we will be holding sessions to help encourage students to run. 6.6. We also have an action planned 3 week period between the close of nominations and the Election period to allow students to learn how to write a manifesto, attend hustings, support campaign skills, public speaking skills and a lot more. 7. CLASS REP UPDATE 7.1. As of this week, we have over 700 active class reps – this is an increase from last session and a bigger increase from the year before. 7.2. Part of the reason for an increase is due to the increase in flexibility between AUSA and the University on how reps should be distributed, selected, elected and participating with the system. 7.3. In many areas, such as Education, we actually have reps – the benefits of this and usefulness for AUSA to be in the conversation of school issues and good practice is being felt by both AUSA and the university.

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8. CONSTITUTION & BYELAWS UPDATE 8.1. The Byelaws are well underway in terms of ensuring all aspects of our organisation have correct procedures and protocol on things like the structure of committees, the review of policy etc. 8.2. It is expected that this review, with student feedback and input will be complete by the AGM for approval by the appropriate body. 8.3. We are in need to students from the Liberation and Section Groups to get in touch to establish a firm connection between them and AUSA so they’re supported appropriately and AUSA can ensure there is autonomous continuation. If you are from one of our Liberation or section groups, please get in touch and we can have a good chat on how and what this should look like. 9. AUSA POLICY 9.1. AUSA has a lot of policy that has gone through the sovereign body that Student Council and there is a lot of work to do to ensure we have all of the policy noted and available for students to see/use/and hold officers to account for. 9.2. I have been conducting and internal review of this and at the AGM there will be notice of policy that has lapsed. 9.3. I have been working with the Executive Committee and the Sabbatical Officers to ensure we have policy that reflects our aims and goals – so, proposing things like the Equality and Diversity Policy becomes a byelaw and is enshrined in our Constitution set. 10. STUDENT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT 10.1. Since 2015, I’ve been leading the creation of a document aimed at highlighting areas of shared values and practice that can enable the University and AUSA to work together for mutual benefit and in partnership. Part A has been attached for information. 10.2. The aim is to ensure we have a shared understanding of what we are here to do and allows us to better work together acknowledging difference, shared values and also noting areas of shared work – so, our concentration on assessment and feedback for the Class Rep Conference can feed into the work and provide solutions quicker. 10.3. As Part B of the document will be about areas of where we will be working together on – such as a review of the Feedback Framework – the work will take place over the coming months with student involvement. 11. PART TIME JOB INTERN – STUDENTJOB 11.1. With the Careers Service, we were successful in our application to gain funding for an Intern to run a review and then develop a co-run part time job service within the new CareerConnect system. 11.2. The intern has produced a useful report, which is attached, about the sorts of things students are looking for and more generally what we can do to improve what we do already and what we need to do to cover areas we’re missing. 11.3. StudentJob, the intended name for the service, will launch steadily and have employers being able to showcase their job opportunities to students with ease of access. 11.4. Rules around what sort of jobs will apply as AUSA is committed to ensuring jobs are legitimate, have fair pay (though, Living Wage preferred), no or limited allowance of zerohours/casual hours contracts.

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12. ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

12.1. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll note in the supporting documents a policy which allows for several changes in the aim of supporting all students. This policy is currently making its way through the structures of the University but reflects the needs and desires of our student body â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly with respect to course reading materials being made available before the start of a course.

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UCTL/071216/002a

7 December 2016

UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING PROGRESS AGAINST STUDENT SATISFACTION: ASSESSMENT & FEEDBACK School

Current [As at Aug 16]

2020 Target

Business School DHP

Starting Position [Year end 14/15] 63.00% 60.50%

Actions

63.90% 70.90%

72.00% 67.00%

•

Education LLMVC

54.10% 70.80%

56.00% 69.90%

70.00% 80.00%

• •

Law

68.50%

71.00%

74.00%

•

Social Science

60.40%

67.40%

72.00%

• • •

Biological Science

63.80%

70.80%

75.00%

Psychology

66.40%

70.00%

73.00%

• • •

Piloting online marking system through MyAberdeen SafeAssign on all school level 1 courses - will allow for the digital collection of student coursework, help staff in managing submissions, setting after hours deadlines, allow students to submit work outside class time, allow overview of multiple assignments by staff , will assist in returning marked submissions securely , will improve personalised feedback, will allow staff to insert comments and annotate student papers with personalised feedback. Targeted intervention at level 3 assessment Focus on timing of assessments making use of TESTA methodology and using on two popular joint honours combinations. This will be supported by measures introduced in 16/17 to harmonize Modern Languages core language programme. Listen to students through SSL, SCEF, policy committees, L & T committees and more informal means with a view to improving student experience Evaluate different forms of assessment and marking workload Reviewing sub-honours courses to include more frequent and innovative forms of assessment which will be reflected in feedback New Teaching Fellows in Politics & IR will allow for smaller class sizes and faster feedback turnaround time Introduce greater diversity in assessments Moved a significant proportion of feedback online. Implementation of new initiatives, such as a move to online marking for all continuous assessment in levels 2, 3 and 4, as well as level 1 theory courses, has helped to increase satisfaction rates, enabled standardisation of feedback through rubrics and greater control on how the content is communicated. Plan to extend to level 1 methods course.

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7 December 2016

Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition

66.33%

67.40%

75.00%

• • •

Engineering

50.20%

56.40%

70.00%

•

Geosciences

65.30%

57.30%

70.00%

NCS

64.20%

71.90%

72.00%

• • • • •

Institutional weighted aggregate

63.13%

66.35%

Overarching assessment strategy for School is being developed and by Jan 17 will have agreed action on ten points for immediate implementation followed by full strategy by Sept 2017 For medicine, are looking for best practice elsewhere. Key area will be changes to final year assessments. Currently is no in year resit, but rather students have to retake year 5. A new assessment lead for year 5 have been appointed. Student representation on assessment and curriculum committees being enhanced across School Two lunchtime discipline-based meetings with level 4 and 5 students every halfsession Major intervention following pattern from Medical School Implementation of digital feedback for all items via MyAberdeen Review assessments and timings in years 3 and 4 to reduce clashes and ensure that feedback is timely Disciplines have improved provision and recognition of feedback and looking to develop a template for module guides which informs students clearly of deadlines for submission and for feedback. Modules within a year group of discipline will coordinate to ensure there are no serious competing deadlines.

72.82%

S:\Academic Services\UCTL\2016-17\7 December 2016\Assessment & feedback for Finance Strategy Paper.docx

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7 December 2016

UNIVERISTY OF ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING IMPROVING FEEDBACK AND ASSESSMENT Feedback and Assessment Task Force 24 November, 2016 Summary: All Schools are asked to submit an action plan for improving feedback and assessment by 27 January, 2017. Plans should include a minimum of three specific areas for improvement, at least three methods by which these improvements will be communicated to students, and clear indications of how the success of these improvements will be measured. The Feedback and Assessment Task Force makes the following recommendations, as discussed below: -

All students should be made aware of their right to feedback on all assessments (1.12) Feedback should be personalised as far as possible (1.14) A full range of feedback mechanisms and techniques should be employed (1.15) Electronic marking should be more widely and consistently adopted (1.2) Turnitin or other plagiarism software should be used wherever possible (1.21) All feedback should be returned within three weeks. Students should have an appropriate space between return of feedback and their next assessment to allow them to engage with the feedback they receive (1.3) Dates for return of feedback should be provided in all course guides (1.31) Schools should consult students to determine reasons for dissatisfaction with feedback, and make students aware of current frameworks and expectations (1.4, 1.11, 1.13) Feedback should be directed at improving students’ future work (1.5) Best practice for feedback should be shared within and outwith Schools (1.5, 1.41, 1.1) Staff should provide opportunities for oral feedback and further discussion (1.6) Schools should develop task forces to evaluate frequency and diversity of assessments (2.1, 2.11, 2.12, 2.3) Schools should consider the appropriateness of exams for particular courses, and provide opportunities for continuous assessment where possible (2.2, 2.22) Resits should be offered by alternative means where adequate and possible (2.21) Schools should promote the results of SSLC and related fora for student feedback more widely, through the use of a ‘You Said, We Did’ policy (3.1) Individual course convenors should be given more control over the timing and formulation of course evaluations (3.11)

Background: In line with the University’s commitment to delivering a high-quality student experience, and as part of the current Strategic Plan, a task force was authorised by Senate in March 2015 to facilitate discussions surrounding feedback and assessment, with the specific aim of improving student satisfaction as reflected in Student Course Evaluation Forms (SCEFs) and the National Student Survey (NSS). The task force firmly believes that there is no single one-size-fits-all solution to questions of feedback and assessment, and as such offers the following paper not as a policy document, but as a series of recommendations to be adopted by individual Schools/programmes as best suits their requirements. It is imperative, however, that all Schools take seriously the need to improve the quality of feedback students receive, as well as student satisfaction rates.

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The task force is aware that staff enthusiasm remains one of the most important predictors of student satisfaction, and encourages the sharing and maintenance of time-tested and successful feedback and assessment methods; likewise the task force is aware that staff/student ratios remain a factor in the provision of feedback. However, the continued and improved provision of excellent feedback and assessment is essential to student experience; all Schools should continue to work towards a clear and transparent ‘feedback loop’ where feedback from staff, assessments, and feedback from students are not seen in isolation (nor as separate from other strategic goals), but are part of a continually-evolving and mutually-dependent process. To that end, the task force asks that each School, under the guidance of the Head of School and/or Director of Teaching and Learning, formulate a Schoolspecific feedback and assessment action plan by 27 January, 2017, as detailed above. 1. Improving Feedback 1.1 While the NSS itself may not be a robust measure of teaching excellence, in allowing a comparison between British universities it demonstrates that the University’s results are far from commensurate to its ambitions as a world-leading teaching institution. It follows that examples of good practice should be identified and disseminated, while every effort should be made to ensure that staff are equipped to improve feedback. 1.11 Anecdotal evidence suggests that not all members of staff are fully apprised of good feedback practice. At a basic level, therefore, it is necessary for investments to be made in improving understanding of the purposes of feedback, as well as sound methods for communicating feedback to students. In particular, Schools should ensure that staff and students are aware that the function of feedback is to equip students to improve performance in future work. 1.12 All students should be made aware of the fact that they should receive feedback for all assessments. The format of this feedback may differ but over the next two years we should see all students receiving feedback on all forms of assessment they do. All students should also be explicitly made aware of the multiple forms of feedback available (e.g. oral comments in labs/practicals/tutorials, discussions with tutors in office hours/over e-mail, generic/individual feedback, etc.). Students, then, should be aware of their right to feedback, while staff are responsible for managing student expectations of the form and content that feedback takes. Anecdotal evidence from some Schools suggests that student perceptions of the quality of feedback may be coloured by equating ‘feedback’ with ‘assessment mark’. Students should therefore also be made aware of the distinct purposes served by the two, and what forms of feedback they will receive for given assessments.

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1.13 In conjunction with the Student Partnership Agreement working group, the current Institutional Feedback Framework will be revised and should be broadly promoted to both staff and students. 1.14 All Schools should personalise generic feedback as much as possible with a view to ensuring that the full cumulative benefit of feedback exercises is accrued. 1.15 Use of alternative feedback mechanisms already available in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), such as video or audio feedback, is recommended in order to ensure that the university can respond to different learning preferences. 1.2 Electronic Marking enables students to retain a repository of feedback, and may also be used to reduce duplication of labour for staff, as well as often being faster/more efficient. The majority of Schools use some form of electronic marking for at least some assignments. Many Schools are currently operating or devising plans for more widespread and consistent usage of systems. The task force recommends that more widespread use of electronic marking be rolled out across the University, with the goal of majority adoption of electronic marking for essay-based and other qualitative assessments by 2018/19, or otherwise in line with changes to the Virtual Learning Environment. Schools may wish to identify colleagues who are already marking electronically and have them champion the format. 1.21 The task force recommends use of Turnitin where possible/appropriate. 1.3 Promptness. The University current requires all feedback to be returned within three weeks. This period often feels overly long to students, and overly short to staff. While the principle of prompt feedback should be reinforced and the three-week maximum maintained and strengthened, the task force recommends that the policy be rephrased to specify all feedback should be provided to the students in time to be of use for their next assessment for the course. For courses that do not have weekly assessments, a lead-in time of two weeks (or other appropriate length of time) between return of feedback and the next assessment is recommended. This may require rescheduling/rethinking some assessments. 1.31 Dates for return of feedback should be provided in all course guides. 1.32 Staff should ensure that, to the extent possible, students with disability provisions are not disadvantaged by receiving their feedback later than other students. 1.4 Improving Feedback. All Schools are encouraged to make use of internal focus groups, feedback from SSLC meetings, SCEF returns, and external feedback sampling to identify areas where students are dissatisfied with feedback, as well as to understand the reasons for dissatisfaction. This feedback should be monitored by the Head of School/Director of Teaching and Learning to ensure good practice is being followed. 1.41 TA/TF/Demonstrator training and sharing of best practice should be encouraged. 1.5 Feedforward. All staff should consider the degree to which their feedback is relevant not only to the work being discussed, but is useful for the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; future assessments. Best practice should be shared both within and between Schools, e.g. at the Learning and Teaching Event in November. Schools should consider adopting feedback forms which include sections concerning how future submissions could be improved. 1.6 Oral Feedback and open discussion. Staff should clearly advertise office hours, as well as making clear their openness to other forms of student response to written feedback. Some Schools already run a weekly clinic where members of staff are available for a couple of hours a week to answer

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questions on work and provide some basic but tangible feedback on assessment, and this practice might be more broadly rolled out. 2. Improving Assessment 2.1 In light of current University discussions surrounding assessment, the task force recommends that each School/programme think carefully about current forms of assessment, their frequency, and their relation to intended learning outcomes, and make these connections explicit to students. 2.11 The task force wishes to emphasise that the only University requirement for assessment is that it tests the stated learning outcomes for a course; the form and frequency of assessment is entirely at the discretion of Schools and individual course convenors, although convenors should consider the diversity of assessments across their degree. 2.12 Undergraduate programme coordinators should map studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; assessments across the course of their studies, in order to see where pressure points exist across the calendar year, and alleviate these if possible. 2.2 Exams. While formal exams are a necessary tool for many subjects, and at many year levels, all Schools should consider when and why exams are most necessary. In some cases continuous assessment, electronic exams, and other forms of assessment may be more appropriate. 2.21 Where adequate and possible, Schools should consider offering resits by alternative means, such as (but not limited to) take-home or other electronic exams, essay-based assessments, or vivas. 2.22 Where adequate and possible, Schools should consider reducing the number of exams given in first year, especially in HS1. Schools should also consider what forms of ipsative feedback, including practice or revision-based assessments, might be appropriate in first year. 2.3 Diverse assessments. The sharing of best practice within and between Schools for best practice in assessment is recommended. Schools should make use of various options available on the VLE, and to make sure both the form and content of their assessments map onto the intended learning outcomes. Schools are recommended to have coordinators at year- or discipline-level to oversee the diversity of assessment.

3. Integrating Student Feedback 3.1 Student responses as provided in SSLC meetings, SCEFs, focus groups, and other fora, as well as from Student Convenors and Course Representatives, should be taken seriously. Schools should adopt a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;you said, we didâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; strategy of promoting changes to courses that have arisen as a result of student feedback, and develop appropriate publicity strategies. 3.11 Schools are encouraged to give academic staff/course convenors more control over the SCEF system, as was originally intended, in order to ask more relevant questions, time release for maximum uptake, and engage students more successfully.

UCTL/071216/003

7 December 2016

UNIVERISTY OF ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING PROGRESS AGAINST RETENTION TARGET School

Current [Year end 15/16]

2020 Target

Business School

Starting Position [Year end 14/15] 15.40%

Actions

11.70%

6.00%

•

DHP

16.40%

14.80%

9.00%

• • • •

Education

11.20%

9.80%

6.00%

LLMVC

15.20%

14.40%

9.00%

Law

12.50%

9.90%

6.00%

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Appointed retention champion and developing actions to engage with arriving students both earlier and more effectively. This is likely to lead to possible changes to tutoring, possible restructuring of year 1 and proactive monitoring of engagement amongst others. Compulsory courses in History and Philosophy developed at level 1 for intending honours students Increased contact time in first two weeks; informal drop in time specific to the course (in addition to office hours) with teaching staff; and consideration of transition difficulties Consultation with local schools and with current first year students New system of ‘advisers’ for all level 1 History students - 4 PGR students act as mentors to level 1 students helping to build community identity and guidance with coursework. Further develop student support e.g. targeted student support for specific level 1 courses Further development of personal tutor scheme Personal Tutors are brought into monitoring loop at an earlier stage Work with Registry to identify students with insufficient credits at the end of the year and who therefore might be at risk of non-continuation Continue to form links with students prior to arrival including via student media contact. Offer enhanced induction programme (recorded) and support for all level 1 students Hold annual matriculation dinner Instigate detailed review of year one LLB provision Enhanced pastoral support and regular contact with all students, particularly those struggling Continue to implement enhanced monitoring process Named contact points for student groups deemed at risk

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Social Science

16.40%

9.10%

9.00%

Biological Science

11.10%

12.00%

6.00%

• • • • • •

Psychology

11.00%

15.00%

6.00%

• • • •

Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition

4.83%

4.50%

3.50%

• • •

Engineering

8.60%

11.50%

6.00%

• • •

Geosciences

7.90%

8.00%

5.70%

NCS

12.70%

11.20%

6.00%

• • • • •

Drop-in sessions early in the first term Staff-student contact through weekly tutorials, personal tutoring and the Attractive Prospects Event (APE). All UG students invited to APEs which feature a graduate guest speaker who demonstrates the career benefits of a degree in Social Science School Facebook page for all level 1 students to build a sense of community Additional support and monitoring by appointing specific staff to take responsibility for each year group (complete) Increased communication amongst staff to better tackle students when concerns are raised (initiated and ongoing) Review and revision of curriculum to make first year more relevant to student’s interests and support transition between years (complete & ongoing) Use of personal tutors to more closely track level 1 students and providing more training for tutors on what to do when something goes wrong Specific staff members responsible for following up with any students who miss their weekly level 1 (lab based) class. Use of MyAberdeen metrics to provide early warning of student disengagement Use of social media to support new students and to foster a sense of community to maintain engagement, especially in first year Three year action plan for retention which is regularly monitored Student support group that leads on school level actions to address non-continuation and other student support issues Targeting those students who are profiled as at risk of non-continuation and are using similar targeted interventions, previously used in Medicine, to support students and try to reduce noncontinuation. Provide an increased level of student support for laboratory activities and tutorial sessions for level 1 and 2 students by ensuring smaller group size and adequate number of demonstrators Appointed School Retention Officer who is working closely with SRAS to identify students at higher risk of drop-out so that interventions can be made at an earlier stage Conduct a mini student course evaluation exercise for all courses at all levels in week 3 or 4 of teaching Identified non standard entry and Access students as largest risk group. Additional mentoring will be provided for these students through a discipline specific personal tutoring system Study of why students have left Move to discipline focused assignment of personal tutors which has improved engagement Identification of RUK, Direct entry and widening access students to ensure support is given

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Institutional weighted aggregate

12.17%

10.57%

6.52%

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7 December 2016

UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN

High level plans towards 2020:

UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING

Work streams: communication, induction, withdrawal, data collection/analysis Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

1. Establish effective and engaging communication early with incoming students

1. Rollout effective communications across the Institution by showcasing effective practices

1. Review communications process and progress

1. Continue to fine tune communication timelines and protocols with annual reviews and consultations with students 2. Lead collaborations with UK wide HEIs around retention and ways in which it can be improved

Communication:

2. Develop innovative ways of contacting incoming students

2. Gather qualitative data from students about any further communication improvements

3. Improve existing communications

3. Continue to develop the personal tutor:tutee relationship 4. Consolidate and continue collaborations with rural HEIs around issues that affect retention in our Institutions with a view to presenting collaborative data at QAA International enhancement theme conference

4. Encourage development of personal tutor:tutee relations

5. Extend communications beyond the Institution to include other rural HEIs addressing specific challenges faced by students attending these Institutions.

Communication:

2. Continue collaborations among other HEIs perhaps including other institutions beyond RGU, UHI and UWS e.g. Dundee, St Andrews, Strathclyde

Communication:

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Induction:

2. Explore and encourage a more integrated approach to induction involving stakeholders from Schools, central services, SRAS, AUSA and Halls representatives 3. Encourage and enable Schools to utilise technologies and innovations to engage students early to promote orientation and familiarity ahead of and during arrival 4. Development of protocols for target groups e.g. clearing students

2. Continue to champion ongoing integrated approaches to induction

2. Review integrated approach to induction

3. Rollout technologies and innovations enabling broad adoption at School and discipline level

3. Review adoption of technological and innovative approaches to induction

Withdrawal:

1. Collect and disseminate best practices for School level induction

1. Improve the withdrawal form to provide more information about reasons behind attrition 2. Enhance the withdrawal process with a more student centred focus 3. Develop a line of communication following withdrawal that will enable Schools to contact students

1. Continue to evolve a School Induction Toolbox, which showcases best practices for induction events

1. Review School level induction events

Induction:

1. Continue to refine induction process so it is a unified, accessible and organised exercise utilising experiences from previous annual reviews and qualitative data gathered from students

4. Refine and improve protocol for aiding specific transitions e.g. clearing students st

1. Review the 1 academic year in which the new withdrawal process has been active refining any uncertain areas or complexities 2. Analyse if the new process has enhanced the level of data available surrounding withdrawal 3. Analyse if the new process has led to more students returning to study

Withdrawal:

1. Further reviews and analysis of the process after another year of established use

Withdrawal:

1. Further reviews and analysis of the process after another year of established use

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7 December 2016

who have chosen to leave the University

Data analysis:

2. Analyse the accuracy and power of the Unique Insights algorithm

2. Develop strategies based on the Unique Insights prediction of Aberdeen-specific risk factors for non-continuation 3. Consider if the Unique Insights product is a worthwhile instrument that warrants further investigation

2. Ongoing development of strategy around the UI-identified Aberdeen risk factors

1. Establish a method for studying existing withdrawal data in order to identify patterns or reasons for discontinuation at School/discipline level

3. Utilise the Unique Insights data in pilot Schools to consider its use and effectiveness

1. Use the collected data to identify and target patterns of student behaviour/engagement that may suggest a risk of withdrawal

1. Continue to shape approaches to retention at School/discipline level using the analysed data

Data analysis:

1. Establish a tailored set of strategies and approaches (central and School-level) that addresses the specific actionable challenges that students may face during their Aberdeen journey

UCTL/071216/003b

7 December 2016

Detailed 2016-17 plans: Communication What? Improve Schoollevel pre-arrival information

Why? Early relationship building.

Provision of a 2way communication link with incoming 1st year students

Creates space for asking questions early, and establishes sense of belonging

Establish a communication protocol for students entering via clearing

Proactive and early engagement with this at risk group helps develop sense of belonging

Encourage use of social media as a means of engaging students

Early engagement and development of relationships with staff and peers

How? Use of Hobsons to contact students. Measurable URL. Around 3 targeted emails between acceptance and arrival Identify appropriate software packages/social media. Circulate some best practice examples. Measure traffic. SRAS to update retention group members and Infohub with incoming clearing student details to initiate School level and personal tutor contacts Development of Facebook groups at School level for applicants. Group URLs to be

Who? Schools to prepare and SRAS to distribute emails. IT to monitor measurable URL

When? Late June, July, August annually

Status? Planning stage

Central contact of IT services. School level management

Late June

Planning stage

SRAS, retention task group School representatives, personal tutors

August 2016

Protocol drafted and will be discussed with SRAS

School administration and teaching staff to set-up and monitor. Support provided in form of how to guides

Many Schools have these in place, with a number of new Schools piloting for 2016-

Ongoing, and expanding.

Comments

UCTL/071216/003b

7 December 2016

Student monitoring Identify students notification passed who are not to personal tutor engaging and encourage development of relationship with personal tutor Students who fail courses to be contacted

Proactive support to discuss options and resit

Revisiting wording used in student communication

Current wording impersonal and instructive rather than constructive

Collaborative exchanges with other rural HEIs

Specific challenges exist for students of rural HEIs including

circulated in offer letters, ezines and as physical handouts at open days/applicant days. Measurable as a number of Schools utilising these sites. Agreement from senior personal tutor forum. Request through student records/registry. Measurable by looking at C6 ď&#x192; C7, comparison. Course coordinators to email any student who fails their course Registry to redraft current student correspondence. Measurable through qualitative data via AUSA. Collaborative forum established with RGU, UHI and UWS to discuss,

and contacts with social media staff at the University. SRAS to add URLs to offer documentation/ezines etc.

17. This is an ongoing drive to enable Schools to adopt these as a communication tool.

Senior personal tutor forum/registry

Procedure in place Sept, reporting in place by academic year end.

Request sent to senior personal tutor forum for discussion.

Course coordinators/registry

January

Ongoing, with circulation through Schools.

AUSA education committee and registry

Develop over coming academic year

In progress

Steve Tucker, Colin Calder and key members of the retention teams

Currently underway, with a view to meeting by video conference

Established and ongoing.

UCTL/071216/003b

7 December 2016

around retention issues

Induction What? Prepare a best practice resource demonstrating School level induction initiatives

Promotion of a more integrated approach to induction activities across Schools, AUSA, central events and halls of residence

commuting distances and a reduced sense of belonging

research and share practice with these HEIs. Measurable by the number of collaborative projects and shared practices.

associated with RGU, UHI and UWS.

Why? Sharing of good induction practices across the Institution will stimulate new approaches and help roll out effective initiatives

How? Creation of a best practice induction tool kit for circulation to Schools. Academic representatives to be invited to share student views of induction activities. Inclusion of a retention task group member on the induction planning group. Academic representatives to be invited to share student views of induction activities.

Who? Retention task group

When? Completion and circulation August 2016

Status? Comments Currently in draft stage and in circulation for comments/additions

Dr John Barrow

July-Sept 2016

In progress with completion expected ahead of induction 2016

A coordinated approach will provide a more substantial induction experience for students promoting a greater sense of awareness of the wider University

on a monthly basis. Research from UoA, RGU and UWS already shared.

UCTL/071216/003b

7 December 2016

Tailoring of ezine content to promote School level events during induction Use of online platforms and applications to engage incoming students e.g. periscope tours, online information forums, virtual open days, GoProstyle videos Better integration of University activities with articulating FE students

and also a sense of belonging at School level Enabled effective communication of times, dates and details of induction events Harbours a sense of belonging early, provides orientation and addresses any concerns for incoming students.

Preparation and integration of students ahead of transition into the University.

Provision of School specific contacts/social media groups through SRAS ezines. Measure traffic and contact. Use of innovative online applications already in use across the Institution. Measurable by number of Schools engaging and number of students involved. Use of MyAberdeen to deliver some exercises to college students as a means of encouraging them to use their associate student status and develop their integration with the University facilities (online

Retention task group members (as School contacts) and SRAS tailoring ezines content

Ezines delivered June-Sept

Currently taking place

Schools, supported by central social media team.

August/September 2016, with ongoing use throughout the AY in future.

Pockets of activity currently, but isolated.

Schools, supported by articulating FEIs and Sally Middleton.

August/September 2016.

Some attempts to do this, but isolated and there is a need for a more integrated approach involving FEIs.

UCTL/071216/003b

7 December 2016

Withdrawal What? Update withdrawal form Enhance withdrawal webpage

Establish withdrawal process

and physical). Measurable as FE student traffic online and also at the library, also as a number as FE students who successfully move into degree programmes. Why? More student centred data, clarify subsequent contact Clarify information and provide a more supportive landing page for students considering withdrawal. Develop a clear process at School level for students considering withdrawal that offers support and records interactions

How? Brainstorming at swap shop. Further changes made by circulation Brainstorming at swap shop and research studying other HEI withdrawal pages

Who? Katja Christie, Robyn Crabtree

Produce a paper with recommendations for School level process and forms for recording meetings and information about student who are considering withdrawal

School retention contacts and task group members

When? May 2016

Status? Complete

May 2016

Complete

August 2016

Draft circulated following discussion with intention for these practices to be developed in Schools by retention task group members

Comments

UCTL/071216/003b

7 December 2016

Establish communication lines for withdrawal forms from centre ď&#x192; school admin contact ď&#x192; retention task group member

To streamline the flow of information from the centre to key individuals in Schools

School administrative contacts and retention group School representatives

June 2016

Complete

Data analysis/collection What? Provide ongoing monthly withdrawal data to School retention group representatives

List of retention task group contacts circulated to administrative retention contact within Schools with request to forward any withdrawal forms to task group member

Why? To monitor and record School level withdrawals and identify common patterns/potential interventions

Who? SRS, Retention task group members

When? Throughout year

Status? Currently underway

Analysis of Unique Insights data

To identify correlations

How? Monthly reports delivered to retention task group convener, and sorted in data dump. Retention task group School representatives to then look for further information on withdrawn students. Measured by considering the number of students returning to study after a withdrawal period. Alignment of unique insights

Katja Christie and Steve Tucker

Through AY 201617

To begin Sept 2016

Comments

UCTL/071216/003b

7 December 2016

Pilot Unique Insights data

between parameters that put students at risk of withdrawal To run a pilot using UI data within DHP and NCS as a means of assessing its use and effectiveness

predictive risk scores with actual non-continuation data. Adapted use within these Schools as a means of focussing existing student activities. Measurable based on the numbers of students retained.

NCS and DHP, with input from retention task group

Starting Sept 2016 for the entire AY

Initial planning and discussion stages

UCTL/071216/004

7 December 2016

UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING PROGRESS AGAINST POSITIVE DESTINATIONS TARGET School

Current [As at July 16]

2020 Target

Actions

Business School

Starting Position [Year end 14/15] 76.90%

81.21%

85.00%

DHP

61.00%

58.12%

71.00%

• • • • • • • • •

Education

95.00%

99.23%

95.00%

•

LLMVC

60.00%

64.74%

70.00%

• •

Law

81.50%

93.75%

84.00%

• • • • •

Increased engagement with employers Establishment of employed Advisory Board Ensure employers are part of course delivery across the School More emphasis on employability skills / enhancing opportunities ‘DHP back on campus’ event with alumni speakers Employability and careers session in level 4 and considering moving to level 3 to allow students to apply to graduate training schemes and time to take advantage of Careers Service opportunities Session on volunteering and internships for History of Art students at level 3 field work course with Career bites session for level 3 students on CV construction Philosophy introducing wider variety of assessments to enable students to develop more skills that are useful to employers Monitoring effectiveness of UG curriculum redesign and looking to imbed employability in programmes All ITE graduates given an automatic one year probation which is paid employment. Given teacher shortages, unlikely graduate employment will decrease Modern Languages Open Day in Oct 16 with discipline-focused events to follow Second year of Language Ambassador programme with STAR accreditation, allowing modern languages students to undertake placements in primary schools Development of new courses in translation and interpreting Recruitment events for PGT programmes to attract Aberdeen UG students Build School brand through excellence in teaching and research and ensuring the message is spread Publicise and enhance the reputation of the school in teaching by engaging with professional bodies and the public Evaluation of the role and effectiveness of the Employers Liaison Committee

UCTL/071216/004

7 December 2016

Social Science

70.00%

67.31%

80.00%

Biological Science

61.00%

74.00%

80.00%

• • •

Psychology

67.00%

67.82%

75.00%

•

Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition

90.00%

88.14%

90.00%

• • • •

• Engineering

85.80%

73.83%

90.00%

•

Geosciences

65.00%

64.76%

82.00%

• •

NCS

80.00%

70.42%

85.00%

Institutional weighted aggregate

75.15%

75.63%

82.34%

• •

Working with Careers and demonstrate graduate employment options via APE Seek opportunities for attracting students to PGT and PGR opportunities Increased activity working with Careers Service. Investment in careers evenings, year group specific talks from Careers and strengthening of PAB Continue increased emphasis on employability including career talks, networking events and work placements. Maintain healthcare graduate employability and engagement with national initiatives on employability through careers lead and new national activity to support careers choice of medical graduates into general practice. New careers lead has been appointed jointly with PG sector and rep on national START group A new Medical Schools Council strategy on GP has been released and will be considered to update the GP/Community course ‘Thrive’ teaching strategy. Data and tracking is less advanced in medical sciences sector. Teaching and learning committee will look at employability data as standing item, will approve new employability strategy and monitor progress on action plans from student support group and programme lead/PAB reports. Maintain range of learning opportunities for workplace engagement and experience across programmes Introduce new type of academic post (Professor in Engineering Practice). This will develop in-house expertise and increase capacity to quickly and efficiently respond to collaborative opportunities with industry Appoint Industry Placement Officer for securing industry placements for our students Areas of growth with potential for graduate employment across the School are in areas of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing. School is looking to strengthen these subject areas and intends to introduce school-wide level 3 courses to complement existing programmes Review engagement with Careers (already embedded in many level 3 & 4 courses) Discipline level personal tutors help support in terms of employability

UCTL/071216/008

7 December 2016

Draft 5/12/16

UNIVERISTY OF ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE TO STUDENTS WHO BECOME PREGNANT OR ADOPT CHILDREN, AND THEIR PARTNERS DURING THEIR STUDIES The University of Aberdeen is fully committed to supporting students, and to providing reasonable adjustments to ensure they are not disadvantaged in their studies due to pregnancy, or adoption of a child. This guidance applies to: a) b) c) d)

Any student who becomes pregnant during her studies. Any student who is to become a parent during their studies. Any student who is the partner of a student who is pregnant (including a same sex partner). Any student becoming a parent through adoption of a child.

The guidance covers health and safety issues, as well as information relating to finance, accommodation, immigration, breastfeeding and academic considerations. 1.

Students to become parents

Any student who has their pregnancy confirmed by a GP, is to become a parent, or is to adopt a child, is encouraged to make an appointment with a Student Support Adviser in the Student Advice and Support Office in order to consider the impact on their studies. This initial appointment will be confidential; however students will be encouraged to share information with their Personal Tutor, Postgraduate/Programme Director or Research Supervisor. The Student Support Adviser can facilitate this, in particular where there are issues of safety or where legal obligations exist. This will be fully explained during the appointment. Consideration will be given to the following: • • •

Whether an interruption of study will be required and, if so for how long (an interruption would not normally exceed one academic year; If assessments are pending, whether the student is fit to attempt the assessments; Any time-off or possible modifications to attendance that might be required so that the student can attend medical appointments.

A written record of the agreed adjustments will be produced by the Student Support Adviser and shared with personnel who have responsibility for the student’s programme of study. 2.

Study Abroad

Where a student has their pregnancy confirmed whilst studying abroad, they are encouraged to contact their Personal Tutor, Postgraduate/Programme Director, Research Supervisor or person nominated by their School to ensure that adequate steps are taken to make necessary adjustments. 3.

Returning to Study

The student will be responsible for confirming that they are ready to resume their studies at the end of their agreed period of interruption. They should inform their Programme/Postgraduate Director/Research Supervisor and relevant administrator that they are to return so that the appropriate arrangements can be made in terms of course enrolments. Directly before, or as soon as

7 December 2016

UCTL/071216/008 Draft 5/12/16

practical after their return, the student should meet with their Programme/Postgraduate Director/Research Supervisor to ensure that any necessary adjustments are made to ensure a smooth return to their programme of study. Students are reminded that it is not permitted to bring children into classes. Childcare facilities available at the University include the Rocking Horse Nursery which is located on campus. www.abdn.ac.uk/rockinghorse. Places are extremely limited so you should place your name on the waiting list as early as possible. A list of other registered nurseries in Aberdeen city (including Foresterhill) is available at http://www.scottishchildcare.gov.uk/. SAAS students may be eligible to apply for financial assistance towards registered childcare. Application forms for this can be collected from the Student Advice and Support Office on the top floor of the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union Building. Breast-feeding: There are no restrictions on breastfeeding at the University. Should you require private circumstances (e.g. to express milk), it may be possible to provide access to first aid rooms for these purposes. Contact the Student Advice and Support Office for further details. Coaching: Maternity coaching is available to Postgraduate Research students who are suspending their studies for maternity reasons. The purpose of the coaching is to support you in managing the transitions between study and leave. Further information is available from the Student Advice and Support Office on the top floor of the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union Building. 4. Health It is important that you are registered with a local GP and that you receive appropriate medical support throughout your pregnancy. The Student Advice and Support Office can provide details of local GP practices. It is important that you attend all relevant prenatal appointments. If these appointments clash with compulsory elements of your course (e.g. tutorials or lab work), you should try to change the date or time of your appointment to avoid this. If a change is not possible, or if you are unwell for short periods during your pregnancy, you should self-certify for your absence on medical grounds and contact the relevant course co-ordinator to make arrangements to catch up on any work you have missed. If you decide your pregnancy is to be terminated, there is no need for anyone at the University to know, but, should you wish to talk to someone about this, staff in the Student Advice and Support Office or the University Counselling Service can speak with you in confidence. In the event of needing to take time off, you should follow the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absence policies and procedures, in the normal way (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/infohub/study/medical-extenuating-circumstances.php), but it is not necessary to provide specific details. 5.

Safety

In certain circumstances, where there could be a potential risk to your unborn child (for example from exposure to certain pathogens, chemicals or radiation in the laboratory), it will be important that your School is informed as soon as possible to enable them to carry out a review of your study programme, and conduct a risk assessment. You can either approach your School directly about this or you can ask the Student Advice and Support Office to liaise with the School on your behalf. The Safety Adviser in your School will arrange to carry out the risk assessment with you to identify any relevant risks associated with your study programme and to manage these risks for your protection and the protection of your unborn child. If you have any fieldwork scheduled during your pregnancy,

7 December 2016

UCTL/071216/008 Draft 5/12/16

this should be specifically addressed in the risk assessment completed by the School. The University will consider all reasonable adjustments to ensure that you can continue to participate safely in all activities and/or arrange an appropriate alternative activity. Where this is not possible, despite consideration of possible reasonable adjustments, full or partial suspension of studies may be required. The exact outcome will depend on a number of issues relating to your personal circumstances and this will be discussed fully with you. The University provides guidance to Schools on health and safety issues for new and expectant mothers but the School may also consult Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing for further guidance. Personal Circumstances

Other than the important issues surrounding the health and safety of you and your child, a number of other matters will need to be considered. These will vary from student to student, according to your individual circumstances. If you are a postgraduate research student, you are encouraged to discuss the relevant matters with your PhD supervisor. Undergraduates and postgraduate students on taught programmes are strongly encouraged to discuss these matters with an appropriate person in your School(s), or an adviser in the Student Advice and Support Office as early as possible. The main issues to consider are: • Suspension of studies: You should expect to take a minimum of 2 weeks off after the birth of your child. Depending on your personal circumstances, including your own health and the due date of your baby, you might need, or wish, to suspend your studies for a longer period of time. (Please consider visa implications – see advice for international students below.) A PhD student should discuss this with their supervisor in the first instance. An Undergraduate or Taught Postgraduate student should either discuss this with a member of staff in their School or with an adviser in the Student Advice and Support Office, who will talk through options. •

Examinations: If you are unable to take your examinations due to pregnancy-related illness or the birth of your child, you follow the University’s absence policies and procedures, in the normal way (http://www.abdn.ac.uk/infohub/study/medical-extenuatingcircumstances.php). You will then need to register for the resit attempt but this will count as your first sitting and no charge will be made. If you require any adjustments (e.g. a room near a toilet), you should approach your School office in the first instance and they will consider what reasonable adjustments would be possible.

•

Financial: Unless you are already a lone parent or are a part-time student who meets the eligibility for benefits and/or tax credits, you will not be entitled to Government benefits before your child is born, as the majority of students are not entitled to these benefits until their course is completed. If you are in employment, you may be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay or, if you have recently been in employment, but are no longer working, and have an adequate National Insurance Contribution record, you may be entitled to Maternity Allowance. However, once your child is born, you may be able to claim certain benefits, depending on your personal circumstances. For further information visit: https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/entitlement. If you are funded by the Student Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS), you will need to inform them of your circumstances. Postgraduate research students should seek advice from their

7 December 2016

UCTL/071216/008 Draft 5/12/16

Graduate School in relation to contacting Research Councils or other sponsors about your change in circumstances. The Scottish Government provides a Childcare Fund, administered by the Student Advice and Support Office, to help towards the cost of registered or formal childcare (childminders, after-school clubs, day care and nurseries). Application forms are available from the Student Advice and Support Office. Only full-time SAAS funded undergraduates and students within the scope of the student loan system (e.g. PGDE) are eligible to apply. RUK students may be eligible for childcare funding from SFE, SFNI, or SFW. •

•

International students: If you are an international student, subject to the "no recourse to public funds" condition, you will not be eligible for the benefits above. If you have financial sponsors you should inform your sponsors of your circumstances and agree an appropriate plan of action. For advice regarding the visa implications of your pregnancy, please make an appointment to meet with an International Student Adviser in the Student Advice and Support Office in the Students’ Union Building as early as possible. If you decide to return home for the birth of your child, you should note that many airlines may refuse to carry pregnant passengers after the 28th week of pregnancy and that travel insurance may be harder to obtain. Accommodation: If you currently live in University accommodation, you should be aware that this accommodation is not suitable for children so you would need to find an alternative place to stay. In these circumstances, you would be released from your contract. Guidance on seeking private accommodation is available from the Students’ Association (http://www.ausa.org.uk/supportingyou/accommodation). Contacts and Useful Links

Student Advice and Support Office, The Students’ Union Building, Elphinstone Road, Tel: +44 (0)1224273935, e-mail student.support@abdn.ac.uk Equality and Diversity policy: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/governance/policies-proceeduresplans-and-guidlines-399.php University policies and practices regarding examination and assessments, certification of absences and suspension of studies http://abdn.ac.uk/infohub/study/index.php Listings of nurseries in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire: http://www.scottishchildcare.gov.uk/ Student Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS): http://www.saas.gov.uk/index.htm Government information relating to benefits: https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/entitlement Aberdeen City Council Benefits Advice and Information: http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/council_tax_benefits/council_tax_home.asp

S:\Academic Services\UCTL\2016-17\7 December 2016\Extra papers\Maternity Guidance Paper 5-12-16.docx

11/01/2017

Survey Report

Survey on ‘Students Perception on Part-time Jobs Services’ was generated by the University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen University Students’ Association StudentJob service. Overall 880 respondents completed this questionnaire during December 2016. The purpose of this report is to analyse the results of the survey and to recognise any issues that need to be addressed for future improvement of the part-time jobs service delivery for students.

Demographics of the respondents Prior to publishing the survey it was desired that at least 10% (≤ 1480 respondents) of the students currently enrolled at the University of Aberdeen would conduct the survey. Despite constant effort to promote the survey only 880 respondents completed the survey. This is 59% of the targeted 10% of the entire student population at the University of Aberdeen. Nevertheless, it is believed that despite the low response rate the findings of the survey convey the general trend that students have towards the part-time job services at the University. From the respondents, 709 were undergraduate students (81%) and 170 graduate students (19%) at the University of Aberdeen. To make the survey as representative as possible it was ideal to get respondents from a diverse range of disciplines. Chart 1 demonstrates the distribution of students according to their academic discipline. By looking at the Chart 1, it is clear that some fields of study such as Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition are more represented compared to others such as Education and Divinity, History and Philosophy. Thus, when analysing the data further caution is needed to recognise that the interests and disciplines of the respondents might have affected their opinions in certain questions. Keeping this in mind, it is nevertheless important that the survey gained responses from students in all of the respective academic disciplines. This is vital in order to have as representative sample of the University’s student population as possible.

Chart 1: What academic discipline best describes your degree? Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition Social Sciences Languages, Literature, Music and Visual Culture Engineering Business Biological Sciences Psychology Law Natural and Computing Sciences Geosciences Divinity, History and Philosophy Education 0

100

120

140

160

180

Students working part-time A majority of the respondents (60%) currently work part-time besides their studies. The findings suggest that students have multiplicity of ways finding part-time employment with word of mouth, CV drops in, and contacting the employer directly being the most commonly used and the most successful strategies (see Chart 2). The most popular website being used by respondents to get a job was Indeed.co.uk (16%). AUSA’s Jobs website together with Gumtree was used by 6% of respondents to get their current job.

Chart 2: How did you find about your current parttime job? AUSA Jobs website CareerConnect Indeed.co.uk Reed.co.uk Gumtree Totaljobs.co.uk Word of mouth Newspaper advertisement Other 0%

10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

Where do students search for part-time job vacancies? Responses suggest that there is a wide variety of ways through which students search for open part-time vacancies. Chart 3 demonstrates these responses. The answers clearly suggest that the majority of students (51%) search for open vacancies using non-University based resources. When asked to specify their responses in the ‘Other’ category students commonly answered that they usually browse through the internet and use websites such as Indeed.co.uk, Gumtree, Reed.co.uk as well as companies’ own websites to find suitable part-time jobs. Additionally, many stated that they prefer to go to the Job Centre or directly visit the companies in which they wish to work in. Of the University websites AUSA’s Jobs website was clearly the most used by students (28%). Whereas 15% of respondents used both AUSA’s Jobs website and CareerConnect, only 6% were using solely CareerConnect. Again it must be recognised that CareerConnect website was made available to students at the start of the Autumn Semester 2016, thus allowing them to have only 3 months to familiarise themselves with the website prior to conducting the survey. Nevertheless, it is clear that the service at its current stage has many issues that make it an unattractive service for students to search for open part-time vacancies. These issues will be addressed in the following two sections.

Chart 3: Which of the following services have you used to search for open part-time job vacancies? AUSA CareerConnect Both (AUSA and CareerConnect) Other 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Usefulness of current Part-Time Jobs services at the University When broken down by the responses to the Question 5 (see Chart 3), respondents were asked to specify whether or not they found the service provided by the University’s Part-Time Jobs services helpful. Chart 4 demonstrates the findings. Interestingly, most students who have used the part-time job services provided by the University have indeed found it helpful. Thus in all categories the satisfaction with the service was over 70%.

Chart 4: Did you find the service provided helpful? AUSA CareerConnect Both (AUSA and CareerConnect) 0%

10%

20%

Yes

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Suggestions on how to improve the service was then asked from the respondents who had not found the service provided helpful (see Chart 4). From these responses several important concerns were repeatedly raised. These have been summarised as following: • • • • • •

The website has only a limited amount of vacancies that are being advertised, and those that are being advertised do not sufficiently respond to the needs of most students. There is relatively little information about the jobs that are being advertised. The website is not updated often enough and thus vacancies that are advertised have been frequently filled already. Employers advertising at the website usually do not respond to students to inform whether or not their application was successful. There is not much diversity in the jobs being advertised, most vacancies being in caregiving and bartending with similar working hours. In terms of CareerConnect students did not feel that all of the advertised positions were sufficiently checked by the University. 3

• •

Great amount of students feel that the vacancies being advertised do not match their skills and needs. Many respondents wish that the positions being advertised would be more linked to their degrees.

In Question 9, those respondents who have not used either the CareerConnect or AUSA’s Jobs website were asked whether or not they have considered to use these University services in the future. Alarmingly, the majority of these respondents (59%) stated that they had not considered to do so, compared to 41% of respondents who were considering the possibility of using these service hereafter. The following issues with the service were seen as the main sources of this reluctance to use the service: • •

• • • •

Unawareness of the part-time jobs service provided by the University and how and where to access it. A general tendency to think that the positions advertised in the University websites were not suitable for many students and that there is not very diverse supply of vacancies (e.g. no casual work that would suit with students’ work placement commitments that are included in their studies). Fear that there is more competition for the part-time vacancies advertised at the University’s websites than there is when students use alternative websites or routes to find suitable vacancies for themselves. Many are already employed and for this reason not interested in looking for new jobs. For many respondents the location of the advertised positions was the explanatory factor; thus students based elsewhere than Aberdeen believed it would not be possible to find suitable vacancies for themselves by using the service. AUSA’s website was criticised of being difficult to manage.

Interestingly navigating between the AUSA’s Jobs website and CareerConnect were seen as easy (37%) or somewhat easy (47%) by those respondents that have used the service before. Criticism by those who answered either somewhat difficult (15%) or difficult (2%) was largely due to the unattractiveness of the website or the difficulty of using it.

Types of part-time jobs students are seeking The clear majority of the respondents (89%) would wish to obtain jobs during term-time compared to 49% respondents being interested in seasonal work during University holidays. Furthermore, most students (69%) would prefer to work both during weekdays and weekends. Generally speaking students were, nevertheless more willing to work during weekends (18%) compared to weekdays (13%) as seen in Chart 5.

Chart 5: When would you be interested in working? During weekdays During weekends Both 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

In terms of hours, most students prefer to work 10-15 hours a week (37%). The second most desired category was 15+ hours a week. This becomes demonstrative of the high living costs in Aberdeen that force many students to work extensive hours to be able to cover their living costs (see Chart 6).

Chart 6: How many hours per week would you be interested in working? 0-5 hours 5-10 hours 10-15 hours 15+ hours 0%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

As Chart 7 suggests many respondents prefer Part-time Employment Contracts to any other forms of employment contracts. Nevertheless, both Zero Hours Contract and Casual Work Contract were also relatively attractive to many students. Thus the flexibility of these contracts is seen as beneficial for many students seeking to balance their studies with working part-time.

Chart 7: What sort of part-time job contract is the most desirable to you? Part-time employment contract Fixed-term employment contract Zero hours contract Casual work contract 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

The top five industries that students wish to work in (as shown in Chart 8) are in order of preference: Retail, buying and merchandise (42%), Science and research (39%), Hospitality, leisure and travel (39%), Teaching and education (39%), and Public service, charity and social work (36%). It is important to point out that the interest areas and subject fields of the respondents have likely altered the outcomes of these responses. For example, a large number of respondents were students of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition as well as Social Sciences which is likely have influenced the high number of respondents being interested in Science and research as well as Public service, charity and social work. Nevertheless, Retail, buying and merchandise seems to have interested students from across different subject fields with 42% of respondents wishing to work in this industry.

Table 8: What sort of industries would you wish to be advertised in the CareerConnect and AUSA's Jobs website? Retail buying and merchandise Science and research Hospitality, leisure and travel Teaching and education Public service, charity and social work Sales Creative arts and culture Information, research and publishing Media, journalism and publishing Healthcare Marketing, advertising and PR HR recruitment 0%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

Advice students wish to receive regarding on part-time jobs When students were asked whether they feel that the University provides enough information about some of the issues relating to working part-time, majority of students answered either partly (30%) or not enough (40%). This suggests that there is still plenty of room for development for the University of Aberdeen in giving sufficient advice for students that are either currently working part-time or wishing to get a part-time job besides their studies in the near future. The following issues were specifically highlighted by students: • • • •

•

Many students were unclear about what National Insurance is, how to get their NINO, and how much national insurance contributions they have to pay. Additionally, the way pension system works was not clearly understood by some. Responses also showed clearly that several respondents would wish to receive general information about working part-time and the type of commitments and responsibilities it involves, especially for those who have very limited or non-existing prior work experience. A great number of students also recognise the need for more specific, targeted guidance for foreign students. A general trend was also a lack of information about taxes. Thus several students wished to receive more information about how much taxes they should pay, how the system works if they have multiple jobs, what is their tax limit, and how to take care of their taxation when they are selfemployed. In general students would also wish to receive more information about the best strategies in applying and finding suitable part-time jobs as well as about the possible difficulties that students might face when working part-time (e.g. balancing between work commitments and parenthood/deadlines/studies as well as their rights in terms of sickness, taking time off for interviews etc.). 6

• • • • •

The results also showed clearly that students would wish to receive more information about how to successfully balance their studies and working commitments. For some it would be important that the University would provide more information about the interaction of student benefits and employment benefits. It was suggested that the University could provide more web links that can be utilised when seeking to obtain a part-time job as well as a short guide that would include all the relevant information about working part-time. It was recommended that more attention should be paid to advertising CareerConnect website, as well as the information that the University is providing on its websites regarding part-time jobs since many were not aware of where and how to access any of the relevant information. Further advice about different contract types was also requested. Thus, students seem to lack knowledge about different types of contracts, what they should look like and what should be included in each type of contract.

Support that students need from the University The results were relatively equally distributed when students were asked whether they feel that the University provides enough support for working part-time or searching for open part-time vacancies. Chart 9 summarises the results with 30% agreeing, 43% somewhat agreeing, and 27% disagreeing.

Chart 9: Do you feel that the University provides enough support for students working part-time or searching for parttime vacancies? Agree Somewhat agree Disagree 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Nevertheless, when asked for further suggestions a range of interesting points were addressed. Generally speaking the following comments appeared repeatedly in the responses: • •

• • • •

There is a need to have more variety in advertised vacancies that would thus reflect the varying commitments that different students might have depending on their life situations. Many students wish that there would be more flexibility with their study and work commitments. Thus many contemplated about the fact that the high living costs in Aberdeen drive them to work extensive hours which is not encouraged or supported by the University in terms of flexibility in their studies. It was suggested that remote opportunities would also be advertised in the University websites including for example proof reading for disabled students. Great deal of students feel that there is very limited amount of support and that some of the support that there might exist gets lost since they are unaware about where to find it. There were suggestions to advertise more vacancies that are even remotely related to students’ degrees since this would increase their employability in the future. Advice on how to combine work and study (tips and guidance) was generally supported by many respondents. 7

• • • • • • •

More advice was requested for those experiencing financial hardships, especially in terms of how to deal with them, who to contact, what options there are to finance studying and living besides working part-time, and the possible grants that students could apply etc. It was demanded by many that the advice and information that the University gives in terms of part-time job services should be made more visible to students. Thus a creation of a job centre in campus was, for example, suggested. There was a general tendency to agree that increasing the number of events and information sessions which would help students to find term-time jobs and give information about how to apply to those would be helpful. It was suggested that the University could help students in getting additional, required qualifications e.g. first-aid and alcohol licensing, which would help them to have a better possibilities to get the job that they are applying for. The possibility of providing office space for self-employed students was proposed. Organising recruitment seminars to help students to meet with prospective employers was encouraged additionally by many respondents. Students also felt that it would be a good idea if the University could recognise certain part-time jobs as conducive to their studies.

Desired location of the information about part-time jobs When asked from students how would they like to find out more about open part-time job vacancies, both AUSA’s Jobs website and email communications stood out. Chart 10 indicates these findings. It is, however, important to note that when asked to specify their wishes many students concluded that they would actually wish to receive more information in all of the categories in the future.

Chart 10: How would you like to find out more about open part-time job vacancies? CareerConnect Social media Email AUSA Jobs's website 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Increasing employers’ visibility on campus When asked whether or not students would wish to have more opportunities to meet up with prospective employers in campus, a clear majority of 82% of respondents answered yes. Table 11 represents this. Furthermore, 87% of respondents would be interested in attending a part-time jobs/ work placement fair where they could meet and talk to prospective employers.

Table 11: Would you like the University to provide more opportunities for students to meet up with prospective employers? Yes Current amount is good No 0%

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Incorporating findings for future policies The survey has clearly raised some important points that should be addressed in the future to improve the delivery of the part-time jobs services and the support which the University is giving to its students working part-time. To enhance student satisfaction of the University’s Studentjob services and to better address the needs of students the following improvements are suggested: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

•

Increasing advertising of the new Studentjob services and the services it offers in order to make the information provided clear and visible to all students. Provide well-articulated information about where students can find advice relating on parttime jobs and get help with the application processes. Create a short guide for students about part-time jobs. Increase the number of vacancies advertised in the CareerConnect website. Increase the variety of the vacancies advertised at the CareerConnect website, especially by paying attention to the different amounts of hours, the location of the job, the industry of the job, and the contract type of the job. Recognise that most students would wish to work in Retail, buying and merchandise with approximately 10-15 hours a week. Make sure that CareerConnect is being updated often enough to ensure that no job posts which are old or already filled are still being advertised. Encourage employers advertising at CareerConnect website to inform students whether or not their application was successful. Provide sufficient amount of information about how to use CareerConnect and AUSA’s Jobs website as well as how to navigate between these two websites. Aim to advertise positions that would be linked to students’ studies as much as possible. Make sure that there are clear policies in place about accepting job postings at CareerConnect website to ensure the legitimacy of each position being advertised. Encourage students to apply for part-time jobs by highlighting the future benefits and skills gained through working part-time whilst studying. Make the support for students who are struggling financially or with balancing between their work and study commitments more clearly accessible. Hold regular workshops about different issues relating on working part-time (e.g. taxation, National Insurance, different types of contracts, best strategies to apply for jobs, advice on how to balance between work and study, student and employment benefits, and employees’ rights in different situations). Increase the amount of targeted advice for students with varying needs (e.g. students without any prior work experience, foreign students) 9

• • • •

Consider the possibility of organising courses that would support students’ employability (e.g. first-aid, and alcohol licensing) and improve their skills to better suit the required skills of the positions being advertised at CareerConnect. Organise an annual Studentjob Fair that would provide a platform for students to meet up and talk to prospective employers. Consider the possibility of recognising certain part-time jobs as conducive for students’ studies (e.g. by including them to the Enhanced Transcript). Pay regard to the possibility of providing specific office space for self-employed students.

Conclusion This report has analysed the findings of the survey ‘Students Perception on Part-time Jobs Services’ conducted in December 2016. The general findings suggest that it is necessary to further develop the Studentjob services at the University of Aberdeen to better answer to the needs of students. As suggested this can be done, for example, by increasing the visibility of the service, growing the number as well as the diversity of the vacancies being advertised, encourage students to engage in part-time jobs, help students with their application processes, answer to general inquiries, provide more opportunities for students to meet with prospective employers and pay attention to some of the issues that students are currently having with CareerConnect and AUSA’s Jobs websites. This report has thus recognised some of the variables that are vital to maximise the benefits that the Studentjob services at the University of Aberdeen has to its students. Hence, it is important that these findings are taken into account when managing the service in the future.

University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen University Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association Learning in Partnership Student Partnership Agreement 2017- 2018

STUDENT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

2017 - 2018

Introduction The purpose of this agreement is to outline the various ways in which students and staff work together in partnership to improve the student learning experience at, and students’ sense of belonging to, the University of Aberdeen. The Student Partnership Agreement, SPA, has been developed by a working group consisting of members from the Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA), and University of Aberdeen (UoA) academic and professional services staff. The SPA sets out our approach to partnership, and details the agreed priorities to which the UoA and AUSA will work towards during academic years 2017 and 2018. Section A outlines the different ways in which students can work with staff to bring about change to the various different levels of the University, both individually and collectively. Section B outlines the jointly agreed areas of work upon which the University and students will work together. Senior Management of both organisations, and staff and students, have agreed to support the delivery and implementation of the agreement. The UoA and AUSA are committed to the continual development of this Student Partnership Agreement which will be reviewed, jointly, on a bi-annual basis.

The University of Aberdeen Community The University’s Strategic Plan 2015-2020 aspires to support students through: • •

•

Enhancing and providing a caring culture of belonging and collegiality in the community of staff, students and alumni which focuses on excellence and helps to realise full potential; Enabling students to receive an outstanding educational environment reflecting the quality of an international institution, fostering a sense of community supporting all students in achieving their ambitions; Equipping students with skills and experience which will allow them to maximise their opportunities as responsible global citizens upon graduation.

The SPA reinforces our commitment to work together to this end.

Section A 1. Partnership at the University of Aberdeen We, the staff and students of the University of Aberdeen, recognise that by working in partnership we can enhance the student learning experience. To us, partnership is: • • •

agreeing shared goals and principles, by fostering an environment for open and ongoing dialogue between students and staff, and embedding transparency and honesty throughout.

STUDENT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

2017 - 2018

2. Student Engagement at the University The key opportunities for students to work in partnership with the University are as follows:

2.1

The Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA)

The student body at the University of Aberdeen are represented collectively by elected AUSA members. AUSA serves to empower, represent and support the student body, and ensure that the rights and needs of students are met. Opportunities to become involved in AUSA’s work include: • Becoming a School Convener, Class or Programme Representative to act for specific areas of study, and feedback on learning and teaching encounters which influence the student experience.; • Becoming an elected AUSA Sabbatical Officer, to represent at a senior level, core areas of student life: Welfare, Education, Community and Sports; • Becoming an elected representative of the Student Council and, via the Council, report the student view to the University Court; • Participating in internal democracy, be involved in sports and societies; • Providing support to students for both their academic and non-academic needs, via volunteering opportunities within the AUSA Student Advice Centre. 2.2

Formal Student Engagement

The UoA is committed to involving students in the formal decision making processes of the University by having student representation on all relevant University and School Teaching & Learning Committees. Formal student engagement activities include: • Elected AUSA Sabbatical Officers present on all University Committees, including Court and Senate; • AUSA membership of Steering Groups, Project Boards, Task Forces and Working Groups aimed at enhancing specific aspects of teaching and learning provision; • Student membership of Internal Teaching Review Panels; • Appointed School Convener and class and programme representatives’ membership of Staff: Student Liaison Committees to articulate views of students within their respective Schools; • Student feedback on the quality of teaching and learning of each and every courses by completion of Student Course Evaluation Forms, SCEF, which are discussed at Staff: Student Liaison Committees; • Student participation in a range of surveys that measure student satisfaction and engagement including the HEA Annual Student Engagement Survey and the National Student Survey; • Students 4 Students, the institutional peer mentoring system for all new students, and School and discipline based Buddy Systems and Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) schemes; • Student engagement with Personal Tutors to discuss co-curricular, pastoral and academic matters. 2.3

Informal Student Engagement

Students are actively encouraged to provide face-to-face feedback to academic staff, student representatives and professional services staff during less formal occasions, examples of which include, but are not limited to: • The opportunity to contact staff via email, or in person during advertised office hours and/or School ‘open door’ policies; • The opportunity for dialogue at course specific activities such as field-trips, laboratory classes, tutorials and social events; • Interactions with academic staff and other students on academic matters through online discussion groups, such as via the MyAberdeen virtual learning environment and discipline specific social media groups. STUDENT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

2017 - 2018

DRAFT 18-1-17

UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN [TITLE OF COMMITTEE] PROPOSED ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE LEARNING POLICY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This policy seeks to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of learning and teaching for students by mainstreaming a small number of reasonable adjustments. ‘Reasonable adjustment’ in this context describes provisions which are recommended for students with disabilities by the University’s Disability Advisers and Academic Skills Adviser, based on medical/educational psychologist assessment reports/recommendation, and implemented by Schools and teaching staff. Mainstreaming these adjustments will significantly improve the accessibility and inclusivity of our programmes and will ensure that the University complies with its anticipatory duties under the Equality Act 2010. It will also reduce the number of individual adjustments that School/teaching staff need to make. Mainstreaming, in this context, means the systematic consideration of the effects of teaching, learning and assessment practice and policy at the point of planning, implementation and evaluation to ensure that teaching and learning is inclusive and accessible to students. In addition to the potential advantages for disabled students, adoption of the proposed policy will benefit cohorts of non-traditional students too. Approval is sought for the identified adjustments to become standard practice in the planning, development, and delivery of learning and teaching for implementation in academic year 2017/18. Indicate where further information may be obtained.

BACKGROUND Under the Equality Act 2010, Higher Education institutions have an anticipatory duty to ensure that their learning and teaching environments are inclusive and accessible to all, including disabled students. The purpose of the duty is to ensure that disabled students can access their education on a par with their peers. Institutions are expected to build accessibility into their teaching and learning and not simply make adjustments when a disabled student identifies themselves. The duty to make reasonable adjustments requires positive steps to be taken to ensure that disabled and students with specific learning differences can fully participate in their programme of study and enjoy the other benefits, facilities and services provided for students by the educational establishment. Adoption of the policy may be one method by which the University can adhere to the Equality Act 2010 and thus avoid discrimination.

STRATEGIC CONTEXT In accordance with the University’s strategic priority ‘to be one of the world top seats of learning and teaching, providing a standout personalised student experience of the highest quality’, we seek to enhance the learning and teaching environment by creating a culture that is dynamic, accessible and inclusive.

The policy will also meet the University’s claim ‘to be a progressive institution where staff and students thrive within a culture of equality and diversity to enable them to achieve their aspirations’, and may assist other cohorts of non-traditional (widening participation) students, such as students who have English as an additional language; students who are first in their family to go to University and may not have had access to the terminology/vocabulary used in higher education; students with caring responsibilities. .

PROPOSED POLICY FOR CONSIDERATION

The policy will apply to all students of the University, and all staff who teach and support students. It will apply to all courses, unless there is a justifiable pedagogic reason for not doing so. A justified pedagogic reason must be made clear to students at the time of course selection. An example may be uploading of teaching materials of a confidential or sensitive nature to the virtual learning platform. 4.1 Course outlines and reading lists shall be made available at 4 weeks in advance of the course starting to all students a) The course outline should contain indicative content, indicative reading, and mode of assessment, and be available in the University Library for students who have yet to complete e-registration. b) Information is likely to be communicated in course handbooks or on the appropriate virtual learning environment (VLE). It should be emphasised that this information is an outline and further course details will be made available at the start of the course. N.B. Students will only be able to access this information if they are fully registered. Benefits to students: This will allow students to make effective course choices, read around their subject early on and be more prepared for the course(s) they have selected and generally enhance the student’s experience. As well as assisting disabled students, there steps are also likely to assist other cohorts of non-traditional (widening participation) students who have English as an additional language; are first in their family to go to University and may not have had access to the terminology/vocabulary used in higher education; students with caring responsibilities. Benefits to staff: It will ensure that students make appropriate course choices and are well prepared and ready to engage with course material. It will enable the University to practice reasonable and anticipatory adjustments; it will aid retention by providing information about courses in advance so students can make informed course choices, and be better prepared and able to manage their studies. 4.2 Reading lists shall indicate priority and /or relevance a) To enable students to prioritise their own reading. b) Key texts to the course should be identified, with those particularly relevant to a session or theme highlighted. c) Students are still expected to do their own research to identify further readings. Benefits to students: This will enable students to ensure they obtain essential information at appropriate points in the course. It will allow students to manage their time effectively, and be well prepared for classes. As well as assisting disabled students, these steps are also likely to assist other cohorts of students who have English as an additional language. 2

Benefits to staff: It will ensure that students engage with appropriate reading for the course and have been exposed to the necessary information at the appropriate time in the course. It will enable the University to practice reasonable and anticipatory adjustments. It may aid retention by providing information about course reading in advance so that students are informed and better prepared, and able to manage the required reading. 4.3 Lecture outlines or PowerPoint presentation slides for lectures/seminars to be made available to all students at least 24 hours in advance of the class. a) The key purpose is to inform students of what they will be taught so that they can prepare in advance in their own time. b) Where presentation slides are used as the basis for the lecture/class, these shall be made available to students 24 hours in advance of the class, in an accessible, electronic format, preferably on the appropriate VLE. c) Where a VLE is not used, students must be directed to the appropriate lecture or class outline. d) If presentation slides are not used then a lecture or class outline must be made available in another format, e.g. a bullet-point list, or a visual plan, of the topics being covered in the lecture series and where to access information in the reference materials (e.g. relevant chapters of textbooks should be highlighted). Benefits to students: This will help students familiarise themselves with the lecture material, and new terminology/vocabulary used, ahead of the class, provide an opportunity for preparatory background reading and prepare any questions that they may have. It will reduce the notes students have to make during the lectures enabling them to focus on the lecture content. Benefits to staff: It will help all students to engage more fully with the materials in class, beyond the presentation slides. It should free students from copying down slide content, enabling them to be more engaged in the class discussion. Students may come to class better prepared and with questions about the material. It will enable the University to practice reasonable and anticipatory adjustments. It may aid retention by improving student engagement. 4.4

Key technical vocabulary/terms and/or formulae shall be provided to all students at least 24 hours in advance of the class. a) The key purpose is to ensure that students fully understand the terms/formulae in use in class and to facilitate their participation. b) Where technical vocabulary/terms and/or formulae are used in class, these should be made available at least 24 hours in advance of the class they are being used in, preferably uploaded to the VLE. c) Where the VLE is not used students must be informed of where to access these terms/formulae. If technical words/terms/formulae are embedded in the lecture/class presentation, and likely to be covered by the proposed provision of lecture outlines/PowerPoint slides (see point 5.3), the provision of supplementary information may be unnecessary. d) The use of technical vocabulary/terms and/or formulae will not affect all subjects and judgement needs to be exercised. Benefits to students: This will enable students to better participate in the class. It will provide students with an opportunity to prepare in advance of the class and to be ready to participate fully with the 3

material. As well as assisting disabled students, these steps are also likely to assist other cohorts of students who have English as an additional language. Benefits to staff: It will promote a better understanding of key terms and formulae, thus enhancing participation. It will enable the University to practice reasonable and anticipatory adjustments. It may aid retention by improving student engagement. 4.6 a) b) c) d) e)

f) g)

All Students shall be permitted to audio record official lectures, tutorials and supervision sessions using their own equipment for their own personal learning. The recording is only to be used by the individual student for the purposes of personal study (it shall be a disciplinary offence to use the material for any other purpose). Video recording shall not be permitted without the explicit permission of the member of staff involved. All intellectual property rights in the official recordings remain with the University and the course tutor. The recording is done in an unobtrusive manner by the student using their own equipment. The recording is destroyed once its purpose has been met (this will always be before the student leaves the University and shall normally be by the end of the exam diet to which the course relates. Teaching staff have the right to insist that recording stops in certain circumstances (e.g. to protect confidentiality where sensitive or personal information is being discussed). Students agree to these terms and conditions as part of the contract between students and the University, assenting to it on matriculation.

Benefits to students: Some disabled students may find it difficult to comprehend a lecture fully at the time of delivery; this will support studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; note-taking efforts, and provide valuable revision materials, facilitating the review of complex content. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who are unable to maintain note-taking at a sufficient pace due to a physical disability require notetaking support. It is anticipated that this will be used to supplement studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lecture experiences and help them to concentrate on actively participating in classes. Recorded lectures build on the value of the lecture and should not be seen as a replacement for lecture attendance; students should follow the attendance regulations of their courses/Schools. Benefits to staff: Students will be able to actively engage with learning and teaching without having to write constant notes throughout. They will be able to consolidate notes after listening to the recordings, and will be able to use the recordings to better prepare for exams. It will enable the University to practice reasonable and anticipatory adjustments. It may aid retention by improving student engagement. The recent cuts in Disabled Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Allowances in England transfer the responsibility for providing in-class support from the funding body to the institution and lecture recording is one means by which the gap in provision may be met. 4.7

All teaching shall ensure that microphones are worn and used in all lectures regardless of the perceived need to wear them a) Where radio microphones are made available in teaching rooms these must be worn and used. Table top microphones are not always sufficient on their own, particularly where teaching staff walk around whilst talking. The benefit of amplified sound reduces 4

the effort involved in concentrating in the class for all students, not only students with a hearing impairment, and improves attention. b) Maintenance of the microphones is the responsibility of the IT Services. Benefits to students: As well as assisting a cohort of disabled students who will experience significant disadvantage in traditional teaching venues, these steps are also likely to assist students who have English as an additional language. It reduces the risk of loss of information or mishearing information. Also, it removes the need for students to ask teaching staff to wear a microphone. Benefits to staff: It will enable the University to practice reasonable and anticipatory adjustments. It may aid retention by improving student engagement in those with disclosed and undisclosed impaired hearing. 5.

RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS With regard to 5.7 there may be a resource implication in provision of radio microphones.

RISK MANAGEMENT State any risks associated with the issue or proposal. Include information on whether a formal risk assessment has been carried out, and/or whether there is a need to amend any existing risk register. If references are made to a risk already included on a risk register, state clearly which register and whether the recommendations are expected to impact upon risk scores. Reports to the Operating Board and Court should also refer to meeting the University’s agreed Risk Appetite.

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Include reference to whether an Equality Impact Assessment has been undertaken or is required. 8.

SUSTAINABILITY & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Any environmental, ethical or social implications or impacts of the paper should be noted. Where the paper will have an impact on energy consumption and/or has associated carbon dioxide emissions these should be clearly stated.

RECOMMENDED ACTION The [name of committee] is invited to …

10.

FURTHER INFORMATION Further information is available from ….(to include both the author of the paper and the person attending the meeting who will present or respond to questions on the paper).

[Date] [version] [Open/Closed/Part Closed]

Board/Committee

Date

Previously considered by Further approval required

[path to filename]

N:\Committee Management\2014-05-20_RevisedCommitteePaperTemplateMay 2014.docx