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Lectures and seminars cancelled - Impact on Education

303 out of 651 free text comments (47%)

• Students complained that strikes negatively impacted the number of lectures/ seminars they had over the academic year.

• They missed content, teaching, placement and lab hours as a consequence.

• Negative impact on assessments, disrupted timetables and workload, loss of momentum and motivation.

“Cancelledseminarsandlectures,missingentire weeksofcontentwithoutaddedtimetocatchup whenit’sreleasedatthesametimeasthenext weeks content”

“…missedoutonalot ofthecontent”

“Iloststudymomentum aswellasselfdiscipline andattention.”

“Ithaslessenedthe qualityandconsistency ofmylectures+ seminars.Causinga disruptiontomy scheduleandmy progressinwork.”

Value for money + Frustration

182 out of 651 free text comments (28%)

• Students had value for money concerns for their education.

“I'mastudentfromadeprivedbackground.Ihave spentmylifesavingstoattendthiscourse...Theyask meformysupportwhenthey…livecomfortablelives. Myfamilygenuinelystrugglestomakeendsmeet,so askingformysupportwhiletheywon'tevengiveme noticeisridiculous.”

• There was frustration among those attending classes when lecturers did not turn up.

• Many also experienced anxiety and stress with last minute rescheduling/ cancellations.

• Some students understood why strikes were happening, while others were less sympathetic.

“Thelecturersdon'tturn uptolecturesafterwe pay9kayearforthem tobethere.”

“Alwaysonedgeabout ifstuffwillbe cancelled.”

Wider Strikes Effects – Train, NHS, Postal, Teachers

205 out of 651 free text comments (31%)

• Where wider strike effects were concernedthose found most disruptive by students were the train strikes (169 out of 651 free text comments - 26%).

• Students reported being unable to come to uni, travel home and missing other important appointments.

• Some students also shared concerning effects of nursing strikes linked to reduced placement hours and appointment delays.

• A small number also complained about missing parcels due to postal strikes.

“Ihadmybirthdayacoupleof daysagoandmyfriendsfrom outsideBournemouthcouldn’t makeit,thatmademesad.”v

“I’vebeenunableto returntoUnidueto railstrikessohave missedlectures”

“Eachnursingstrikedayhas meantthatanystudentnurseon placementthatdaylost7.5hours ifduetobeonshiftthatday.”

“Ihaven'treceived healthcareformy heartconditiondueto NHSstrikesmeaningI havebeenmore poorlythroughoutthe year”

“Strikeswithtrainsprevented mefromgettinghometomy sickgrandmaandthenagain aftershediedandIwantedto supportmyfather.” of first year students said they attended all lectures and events on campus of students 24 or under said they attended all lectures and events on campus of postgraduate students said they attended all lectures and events on campus of students 30 or over said they attended all lectures and events on campus

How often are you unable to attend lectures, seminars and booked events on campus?

One third of students reported attending all lectures, seminars and booked events on campus.

However, 40% of students said they were unable to attend campus weekly and additional 28% - monthly.

It is concerning to see such significant numbers missing lectures, seminars and booked events with such regularity.

(195 out of 619) students said they attended all lectures, seminars and booked events on campus.

“Make lectures more engaging and have more communities. Some of the lectures I’ve been to have been rather boring because of the teaching style being lacklustre, like I’m still in middle school.” First year student, aged under 21.

Which of these factors affect your attendance/ engagement with your course? (Tick all that apply).

Students raised a variety of factors when asked what affected their attendance and engagement with their course. The four most frequent factors, all being selected by over a quarter of students were: and

Timetable

94 out of 404 free text comments (23%)

Many students have expressed frustrations over the structure of their timetables. Two improvements to the timetable, which students suggested would improve attendance, were classes being less spread out over too many days in a week and big gaps between classes on a single day.

“Becausethelecturesaremostlyanhourortwo aday,itmeansthatIhavetotakeabusfor thathourandthengoback.Whynotputmost lecturesononeortwodays?”

“Itryandmakeittoall scheduledsessions,butwhen seminarsarejustscheduled foranhourIfindithardto justifythetravelexpenses.”

“Makehoursmoreaccessible! Notsospreadout.Rather haveafewhoursallatonce thanspreadout”

“Fewer9amlectures”

Quality of Education

79 out of 404 free text comments (20%)

A number of students raised concerns regarding the quality of their classes. Many of these students stated that classes and the way content was presented were not engaging enough.

“Someofthelecturesareaccomplishedacademics, butthisdoesnotmakethemgoodteachers.They knowalotbutdon'tnecessarilytranslateitvery well.”

“Presentingstylescouldbe Improved.Ifeellikeoften lecturersjustreadfroma screen.”

“Presentingstylescouldbe improved.Ifeellikeoften lecturersjustreadfroma screen.”

“Moreinteractiveclasses.”