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University of Stirling’s student newspaper November Edition 2018 | Twitter: @brignewspaper | Website: www.brignews.com
GAMING: RED DEAD 2; SO HOT, IT’S ON THE RANGE COMMENT: FAST FASHION FAUX-PAS ‘Two plus two’ students disadvantaged in final years of University Sam Ormiston News Editor
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ot all students spend the entirety of their degree studying on the University of Stirling campus. As part of the ‘two plus two’ scheme, hundreds of students each year arrive on campus in September to start their third year of study, after studying at another institution as part of an integrated degree. Most students come from Forth Valley College. Students on the digital media and applied biological science courses to name a couple, have been left feeling at a disadvantage compared to their fellow students who have spent two years on campus, adjusting to the university system. This is for a number of reasons. Some students feel like there is a lack of communication between the University of Stirling and the other institutions involved in the scheme. Others simply do not feel like part of the university at all.
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Graham Cameron, a third-year digital media student, felt like there was not a smooth transition between second year at Forth Valley and third year at Stirling. He said: “The main issue that needs to be addressed is that there is not enough being done at a structural level between the two institutions. The first two years at Forth Valley was practical orientated. We learned useful skills like Adobe and desktop publishing, but we were not taught how to reference and there was very little in terms of essay writing skills.” The jump between second and third year is already a huge challenge for undergraduate students. This is made even worse for ‘two plus two’ students, who have no previous experience of how the university works, and have never been introduced to learning platforms like Canvas. Graham Cameron told Brig: “My biggest issue that I have is I don’t see how what I’ve done in the past has benefitted me in what we’re doing now.
Natasha Cameron, who is the module representative for digital creativity and is also studying a digital media degree, said that it was very much ‘sink or swim’ when she started third year. She told Brig: “As module representative I am talking to a lot of people on the course about their concerns. Everyone is getting really worked up and some of my classmates are thinking about dropping out. It is definitely having an effect on some people’s mental health.” Sakshi Pandey, a fourth year student of applied biological sciences, said that she feels at a disadvantage compared to some of
Credit: Forth Valley College (Wikipedia)
her fellow students who have studied in Stirling for all four years. “We started third year and one of things we had to do almost immediately was write an essay. Those of us coming from Forth Valley had not written an essay at all in the first two years of our degree – things are done very differently.” Vice President of Education Daniel Wright is aware of the concerns and the struggles that ‘two plus two’ students are facing. Wright was elected into his sabbatical officer role on a manifesto that focussed heavily on inclusivity for non-traditional
students, which includes those studying integrated degrees. There has undoubtedly been some progress in terms of getting more ‘two plus two’ students involved in everything that the university has to offer. Jessie Henderson was elected as the non-traditional student’s officer at the most recent Student’s Union byelections, after studying on the two plus two scheme. And Air3 station manager Harry Mitchell is studying an integrated degree, showing that there are examples of non-traditional students getting involved in clubs and societies at the highest level. Mitchell is in second year studying digital media. He said: “At college I get handson practical industry experi-
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