Student Voice Year Report 2016/2017

Student Voice Year Report 2016/2017

2016/2017 Year Overview The Year in Numbers

1 3

Course Representative Year Overview Course Representative Survey Analysis Data collected from the Course Representative Assembly minutes Course Representative Assembly Trends Issues Identified within the Course Representative Scheme

6 8 18 24 27

Student Voice Representative Year Overview Student Voice Representative Feedback Analysis Data Collected from the Student Voice Representative Forum Minutes Issues Identified with the Student Voice Representative Scheme

28 31 34 35

Speak Week Campaign Overview Speak Week Campaign Data Issues identified with the Speak Week Campaign

36 36 40

Student Choice Awards Overview Student Choice Awards Data Issues Identified with the Student Choice Awards

40 44 46

Conclusion List of Issues Identified and Actions

47 47

2016/2017 Year Overview The academic year, for the Student Voice Team, began with Freshers’ week where we promoted both the Course Representative (Course Reps) and Student Voice Representative (SVR) roles. With students being elected as Course Reps their lectures within the first three weeks of term, the Student Voice Team arranged a plethora of dates for Initial Course Rep Training. These dates ranged from the last week of September until the first week of December. We tried to make sure we held training sessions on all four campuses (Cardiff, Glyntaff, Newport and Treforest), on different days and different times to give all students the opportunity to attend. In amongst Initial training sessions, we ran different training sessions called Extra Development Training. These sessions were promoted to the Course Reps as a way of taking their role further by covering these five topics: finding evidence (especially for issues they would face as a Course Rep), meeting skills, campaigning, mediation skills and quality assurance in HE. These sessions proved to be insightful for the Reps so we included them in our training session timetable for the second intake period (February to March 2017).

In November and December, the first block of Course Rep Assemblies were held, which had an attendance of 110 students over the full week. At the end of this week, we held our first SVR Forum, where our SVRs were able to meet with the Student Voice Team and the Elected Full-Time Officers. Also in November, the Students’ Union held a quorate Annual General Meeting, where 12 motions were discussed and voted on.

The Student Voice Team held more training sessions for the second intake students and for any students who had missed training the first term. Less students attended these sessions held in the Spring Term as a whole, compared to the Autumn Term but that is what we had expected. Course Rep Assembly and SVR Forum attendance fell every term, however, this is understandable as we moved closer to exam period and the end of the academic year.

Our Elections were held over February and March, with SVRs being elected alongside FullTime Officers and Student Council. There was 11 students who were elected as SVRs for the next academic year. Out of the 11 elected, 6 of those were current SVRs seeking re-election. The other 5 students were current Course Reps looking to take their representation role a step further. Course Reps and SVRs were also helpful in terms of promoting the elections, reminding students why it is important to vote and also led ballot stations across every campus during voting week.

Both SVRs and Course Reps were instrumental in helping the Student Voice Team run the Speak Week campaign and the Student Choice Awards. Student Reps helped gather feedback for Speak Week, and although the campaign was not as big as we would have liked due to the timing of the campaign, we collated over 160 responses of useful feedback on issues ranging from parking,

computers, food, timetabling and library services. Lastly, the Student Choice Awards was greatly successful this year. We had 1,332 nominations from both students and staff; this compares to the 290 nominations we had in the previous year (2015/2016). The Student Voice Team anonymised each nomination to remove any trace of names or genders to make it fair as possible for the judging panels to come to a decision. Both the staff judging panel (who judged the student awards), and the student judging panel made up of Course Reps and SVRs, voted using single transferable vote. The Awards Ceremony itself was a wonderful event, with SVRs, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Full-Time Officers and CEO of the Students’ Union, handing out 25 awards to worthy members of staff and students.

The Year in Numbers Number of Course Reps: 722 Faculty

Business and Society (FBS)

Computing, Engineering and Science (FCES)

Life Sciences and Education (FLSE)

Creative Industries (FCI)

151

194

197

180

58

33

70

8

Number of Course Reps Number of missing Course Reps*

*This number only represents gaps in the Course Rep Database that the Student Voice Team hold.

This is not to say that there are no Course Reps in place in those gaps but rather no Course Rep has come forward and made them self known to the Students’ Union either through email or registering on UniLife, nor has the Course Leader communicated with the Students’ Union about the details of their Course Reps. This number also does not reflect the amount of ‘missing’ Course Reps there are due to no volunteers, Course Reps covering more than one course/one year group or there only being one student on the course (even though on some courses with one student, that student takes on the role of Course Rep).

Number of Course Reps Trained: 203 (28.12%) Faculty

Business and Society (FBS)

Computing, Engineering and

Life Sciences and Education

Creative Industries (FCI)

Number of Course Reps

38 (25.17%)

Science (FCES)

(FLSE)

60 (30.93%)

38 (19.29%)

67 (37.22%)

Number of Course Reps who attended Extra Development Training: 49 (6.79%) Faculty

Number of Course Reps

Business and Society (FBS)

Computing, Engineering and Science (FCES)

Life Sciences and Education (FLSE)

Creative Industries (FCI)

12 (7.95%)

16 (8.25%)

8 (4.06%)

13 (7.22%)

Number of Course Reps who attended Assemblies: 175 (24.24%) Faculty

Business and Society (FBS)

Computing, Engineering and Science (FCES)

Life Sciences and Education (FLSE)

Creative Industries (FCI)

November: 93 (12.88%)

21

34

5

33

February: 58 (8.03%)

15

18

7

18

3

11

0

10

March: 24 (3.34%)

* SVRs attended Course Rep Assemblies as well, with the FCI SVRs attending the most, therefore the overall attendance numbers were higher.

Number of Course Reps engaging in extra activities: 159 (22.02%) Faculty

Number of Course Reps

Business and Society (FBS)

Computing, Engineering and Science (FCES)

Life Sciences and Education (FLSE)

Creative Industries (FCI)

28 (18.54%)

61 (21.44%)

31 (15.74%)

39 (21.67%)

Examples of some of the extra activity undertaken: Blackboard Assessment and Feedback Focus Group, helping with Library interviews, attending Course Boards, Judging the Student Choice Awards nominations, helping gather student feedback during the Speak Week campaign and Loop test run

focus group, plus many more.

Number of Course Reps who attended AGM: 40-50 (5.54 - 6.93%) This number is an estimation due to technical fault with one of the laptops used to record attendance. The quorate AGM looks at 12 motions submitted by students:

1. 'Stop the AGM being held on Holidays!'

2. 'Having a Seperate Transgender Campaign Officer' 3. 'Help International Students Get Fair Pay within the Union' 4. 'We Need Access Through the Sidegate' 5. 'No More than 3 Main Exams' 6. 'Accessible Water and Kitchen Facilities on Campus' 7. 'Open USWSU jobs to Non-UK EU Applicants' 8. 'Swimming in trophies, drowning in costs!'

9. 'Fair Pay for Skilled Student Workers' 10. 'Michael Lewis Foundation Award' 11. 'Harambe the New Mascot of USWSU!' 12. 'Mental Health and Disabled Student Services Streamlined'

Number of Student Voice Reps (SVRs): 22 Faculty

Business and Society (FBS)

Computing, Engineering and Science (FCES)

Life Sciences and Education (FLSE)

Creative Industries (FCI)

6 (100%)

5 (83.33%)

5 (71.43%)

6 (100%)

2015/16 Elections

3

3

1

3

October By-Elections

3

2

0

0

December By-Elections

0

1

4

3

Number of SVRs

Number of Student Choice Award Nominations: 1,332 Award Name

Number of Nominations

Best Lecturer

358 (26.88%)

Best Academic Supervisor

127 (9.53%)

Best Course Leader

200 (15.02%)

Best Module

212 (15.92%)

Outstanding Student Support

137 (10.29%)

Course Rep of the Year

127 (9.53%)

SVR of the Year

39 (2.93%)

Most Inspirational Student of the Year

132 (9.91%)

Number of awards given in the Student Choice Awards: 25:

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Best Lecturer - 5 Best Supervisor - 5 Best Module - 5 Best Course Leader - 5 Outstanding Student Support - 1 Special Recognition Award - 1 Course Rep of the Year - 1 SVR of the Year - 1 Most Inspirational Student of the Year - 1

Number of Speak Week Responses: 164 Campus Number of Responses

Treforest

Glyntaff

Newport

Cardiff

Online

60 (36.59%)

10 (6.10%)

0 (0%)

84 (51.22%)

10 (6.10%)

Course Representative Year Overview In the Autumn term, the Students’ Union saw the appointment of 700 Course Reps. These Reps were spread across the four campuses (Newport, Cardiff, Glyntaff and Treforest), for all year groups including foundation year and postgraduate level, and on full-time, part-time, online and off-campus courses.

The Student Voice Team held 36 training sessions across the four campuses between

September and December, training 184 course reps. Another 34 Reps came to Extra Development training sessions, which included sections about how to make an effective campaign, how to find evidence, how to chair a meeting, what quality assurance is and how to handle conflict resolution.

This led Student Voice Team to set up another 5 Extra Development training sessions in February and March.

Our Annual General Meeting was the biggest yet, with 12 individual motions to discuss and vote on. There was roughly about 40-50 Course Reps in attendance.

The November Course Rep Assemblies discussed issues relating to the recording of lectures, passive teaching styles, on-campus safety, use of specialised equipment, module evaluations and edu-tourism opportunities. 110 Course Reps attended across the campuses that week.

69 Course Reps also participated in extra activities; these included the review of Loop before it went live to all students, a focus group on assessment and feedback, helping to interview new members of staff for Library Services, volunteering at Charity Week, and attending course boards and validation events.

The problems that have been taken on by Course Reps have been varied. Course Reps have solved issues to do with timetabling, use of equipment, formative tests, feedback from essays among others. Although some of the issues may be small and only affect a select few students, they have still proved to be big successes.

By the end of the Summer term, the Students’ Union had data on 722 Course Representatives. There are Reps across the four campuses (Newport, Cardiff, Glyntaff and Treforest), for all year groups from foundation to postgraduate, and on full-time, part-time, online and off campus courses.

The Student Voice Team held 12 training sessions across the four campuses between January and March, training an extra 25 course reps. Another 15 came to Extra Development training sessions in the Spring Term.

The February and March Course Rep Assemblies discussed issues about storage space for students’ work in Atrium, delayed feedback on assignments, issues relating to extenuating circumstances, queries about study space and finally, problems with parking on campus. There was 81 Course Reps who attended the eight Course Rep Assemblies across the four campuses in both February and March.

Course Rep continued to participate in extra activities, such as: helping out in the Student

Voice Team’s Speak Week campaign, nominating in the Student Choice awards, be a Student Choice Awards Judge, helping setting up the Student Choice Awards, attending a Blackboard Feedback and Assessment Focus Group, attending meeting with university staff about SSCLGs and (Re)validations, and also attending the Course Rep Conference.

Course Reps have been making successes within their own smaller communities and have been instrumental in making positive changes that affect the students on their course. Those Course Reps who attend Course Rep Assemblies and those who keep in contact with their Student Voice Representatives, have helped ensure that bigger problems have been brought to the relevant departments/staff. Course Reps have also informed the Students’ Union with any issues that students have about the current university restructuring, which Students’ Union President, Jonathan Jones, has been collating to make sure that student’s voices are heard in this process.

Course Representative Survey Analysis Number of Responses: 124 Faculty

Number of Responses

Campus Number of Responses

Business and Society (FBS)

Computing, Engineering and Science (FCES)

Life Sciences and Education (FLSE)

Creative Industries (FCI)

29 (23.4%)

38 (30.6%)

20 (16.1%)

37 (29.8%)

Cardiff

Glyntaff

Newport

Treforest

38 (30.6%)

33 (26.6%)

6 (4.8%)

47 (37.9%)

Question: How did you hear about the Course Rep role? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

I was told about the role while in class

67 (54%)

I was approached by my Course Leader

48 (38.70%)

I found out from the Students’ Union (in

3 (2.40%)

person or online) I was a Course Rep last year

2 (1.60%)

I found out from another student

1 (0.80%)

Other

3 (2.40%)

Question: How were you appointed as a Course Rep role? 100 (80.65%) Answer

Number of Responses

I was elected by a show of hands

41 (41%)

I was asked by my lecturer

20 (20%)

I was elected by secret ballot or via email

20 (20%)

I was told to carry on the Course Rep role from the previous year

8 (8%)

I had to give a speech before I was elected

6 (6%)

I asked my lecturer if I could be Course Rep

1 (1%)

I was asked by last year’s Course Rep

1 (%)

Other

3 (3%)

Question: How many volunteers were there for the role? 66 (53.36%) I was the only volunteer

32 (48.48%)

There was more than one person who volunteered

34 (51.51%)

Question: How often do you meet with your Course Leader? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Once per term

46 (37.1%)

Only when an issue arises

25 (20.2%)

Once a month

17 (13.7%)

Once per week

14 (11.3%)

Once every two months

9 (7.3%)

Once a fortnight

8 (6.5%)

Never

4 (3.2%)

Once a year

1 (0.8%)

Question: How often have you been invited to/have you attended a SSCLG? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Once per term

66 (53.2%)

Once a month

18 (14.5%)

Once per year

11 (8.9%)

I have never been invited to attend an SSCLG

11 (8.9%)

Once every two months

8 (6.5%)

Never

4 (3.2%)

I don’t know

3 (2.4%)

I have attended an SSCLG but was not directly invited

2 (1.6%)

Other

1 (0.8%)

Question: Do you feel that SSCLG meetings are purposeful and effective? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Definitely agree

40 (32.3%)

Agree

50 (40.3%)

Neither agree or disagree

16 (12.9%)

Disagree

3 (2.4%)

Definitely disagree

0 (0%)

Not applicable

15 (12.1%)

Question: How often do you feel SSCLGs should take place? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Once a month

55 (44.4%)

Once per term

55 (44.4%)

Once a fortnight

6 (4.8%)

Every two months

2 (1.6%)

Once a year

2 (1.6%)

Once a week

1 (0.8%)

Only when issues arise

1 (0.8%)

Unsure

1 (0.8%)

Other

1 (0.8%)

Question: What activities have you completed this year? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Course Rep training

93 (75%)

SSCLGs

81 (65.3%)

Course Rep assemblies

72 (58.1%)

SVR surveys/research

40 (32.3%)

AGM

40 (32.3%)

Online resources for Course Reps

28 (22.6%)

Student Choice Awards

24 (19.3%)

Student elections

18 (14.5%)

Workshops/focus groups

15 (12.1%)

Speak Week

4 (3.2%)

Run own surveys

1 (0.8%)

Other

3 (2.4%)

None

3 (2.4%)

Question: Are you satisfied with the support you received from the Students’ Union throughout the time as a Course Rep? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Definitely agree

34 (27.4%)

Agree

54 (43.5%)

Neither agree nor disagree

26 (21%)

Disagree

5 (4%)

Definitely disagree

0 (0%)

Not applicable

5 (4%)

Question: What further support could the Students’ Union provide for Course Reps? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Social events

57 (46%)

A platform to communicate with other Course Reps

54 (41.1%)

More extra development training

39 (31.5%)

Incentives and discounts

36 (29%)

Better branding/promotion of the Course Rep role

35 (28.2%)

More skills development sessions

35 (28.2%)

Greater clarity of outcomes from meetings

31 (25%)

More team building exercises

24 (19.4%)

More in-depth training

24 (19.4%)

More online content

20 (16.1%)

Greater clarity between the roles of Course Rep and SVR

20 (16.1%)

More regular meetings with Students’ Union staff

20 (16.1%)

More newsletters with upcoming events

16 (12.9%)

More campaigning with SVRs and Officers

12 (9.7%)

More one-to-one support

10 (8.1%)

Improve the Course Rep system for those off-campus

1 (0.8%)

Other

6 (4.8%)

Question: How often do you think Course Rep Assemblies are needed? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Once per term

54 (43.5%)

Every other month

33 (26.6%)

Once a month

20 (16.1%)

Once per year

9 (7.3%)

Twice per year

8 (6.5%)

Question: When is the most suitable time for you to attend meetings with the Students’ Union? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Late afternoons in the week (from 5pm onwards)

74 (59.7%)

Mornings in the week

17 (13.7%)

Early afternoons in the week

15 (12.1%)

Lunchtimes in the week

14 (11.3%)

Weekends

4 (3.2%)

Question: Do you feel the Course Representative system is effective in resolving any potential issues with University courses? 124 (100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Definitely agree

39 (31.5%)

Agree

61 (49.2%)

Neither agree nor disagree

17 (13.7%)

Disagree

5 (4%)

Definitely disagree

1 (0.8%)

Other

1 (0.8%)

Question: Can you provide an example of an issue you have successfully resolved as part as your role? How did you hear about it, how did you go about resolving it, and what was the outcome? (Please provide as many

details as possible).

This are some of the answers we received:

‘An issue where everyone marks in a certain module where poor and harshly marked with the lecturer not attending lectures, this was resolved in our course rep meeting and all marks have been remarked’

‘A few of my course members came to me because one of our lectures only put pictures up on his slides and when it comes to revision it is no good, I went to my course leader and asked if he could have a word with the lecture and see if he can put more words on his slides. The outcome was that he has done all his power points and added all the information we needed for the exam.’

‘Students not receiving proper feedback from lecturers on assessments. Issue was brought to the course leader who discussed with all lecturers and the problem was resolved.’

‘Issue with understanding what was needed for a lit review. 50+students didn't have a clue so we set up a meeting with the lecturer that was compulsory with a breakdown which resolved in people being able to complete and pass that module with confidence where there had been weeks and weeks of worry .’

‘Graduation at Newport leisure centre. Advocated on behalf of the class, emailed higher bodies within the university, attended meetings to speak on behalf of the class and make our voice heard. Highlighted the issues surrounding the proposed graduation venue and suggested comparable changes. Worked alongside other course reps to address the same issue.

Venue eventually changed to the Riverfront.’

‘Students asked for more accounting modules on the course. I brought up the proposal in a course rep meeting with course leader, and was told that an optional accounting module will be given to future students’

‘Bunched deadlines became apparent at the end of the final year, students raised the point that they were stressed and didn't have enough time to complete the work. Took this up with the head of the SU as meetings with course leaders didn't solve anything. Met with the Dean of Faculty who then put the action in place to spread them out.’

‘Regarding our yearly trip. Many students were unable to go due to lack of money and knowledgement. I raised the issues with my course leader and informing him that many wanted to attend yet due to the sudden demand for payment and with such a small 2 day window to pay it made it impossible for some. Only 15 from my entire course made the trip.

Therefore I took this on board myself to make sure next year will have a better outcome. I suggested to my course leader notice made much in advance ( which has already been done ) and a rough estimate of the cost of the trip with a rough Time window. Therefore many students have time to plan and save in advance during summer. The majority of the course are thrilled with this knowledge as the trip seems extremely possible for the majority now.’

Question: Do you have any other comments you would like to leave in order to help us improve the Course Rep system for future students?

This are some of the answers we received:

‘Make sure that every course is holding the SSCLGs at least twice a year, or make course leaders aware that they should be holding the meetings as frequently as they can to ensure that everything is going smoothly on their courses.’

‘There needs to be way more emphasis on the way the SVRs and course reps have to work together as all the info needs to passed upwards. As I am a course rep and an SVR I don't have the issue of collecting data from my course as there's no middle man, however, for the other courses the reps have no idea what we do or who we are and don't respond to anything- maybe some kind of incentive is needed to motivate’

‘I believe there should be an option that course reps could post ideas or discussion topics ahead of meetings so that other course reps can view. So that they can have a better idea of what is happening at the next meeting.’

‘I would suggest giving Course Reps more responsibility so that lecturers take us more seriously. ‘

‘Students should complete all relevant training, attend at least one student rep assembly and one SSCLG to qualify for a certificate of recognition.’

‘I´d love to have more webinars.’

This feedback form was required, alongside an activity log, in order for Course Reps to gain their certificates. Every activity that a Course Rep completes in their role is allocated a number of points.

In their activity log, Course Reps detail their activities for us, which we check against the attendance database we have on the 722 Course Reps, to allocate them either a bronze, silver, gold or platinum certificate.

Course Rep Points Points

Level of Certificate

10-70

Bronze

70-150

Silver

150-200

Gold

200+

Platinum

Number of Activity Log Received: 60 (8.31%) Level of Certificate

Number of Course Reps

Bronze

23

Silver

29

Gold

6

Platinum

2

Data collected from the Course Representative Assembly minutes November Course Rep Assemblies Cardiff Course Rep Assembly: 28th November 2016 The first Cardiff Course Rep Assembly took place on the 28 th November 2016. Attendance was good, and there were many items that were raised. The assembly began with several discussions about the Student Voice Rep projects, which ranged from an assessment of the LOOP module evaluation system to a question over the accessibility of Wednesday afternoon sports fixtures. One project was based on a review of the new Atrium building, for which feedback was generally good, although it was recognised that there are a few problems. Mental health services were also discussed as part of an SVR project, and Course Reps reached a consensus that the services are good, but they are not very well communicated to all students. If the Course Reps had any useful feedback regarding these projects, they were asked to speak to the relevant SVR.

Many items were discussed, both on the agenda and Any Other Business. It was mentioned that there were problems with equipment in the Atrium not being up and running, as well as there being timetabling changes so late in the term. These were suggested to be disrupting student work, and it was agreed that they would be brought to the attention of the FCI Dean. A staffing issue was also brought to the attention of the SU Officers, although it was agreed that this was not really under the responsibilities of the SU team. Students mentioned a cross course collaborative database they hoped to use called Unistems, which was received very positively by other students. It was suggested this should be shared with other course reps and course leaders so that students have the means of finding each other. Other subjects mentioned were the limitations of Erasmus opportunities, the ways of recording attendance in lectures, and the limited vegetarian/vegan options provided by University cafes. Responsibility was taken for these by the relevant people, and the assembly also heard an update from the SU President on the Accessible Water motion passed at the Annual General Meeting.

Treforest Course Rep Assembly: 29th November 2016 The first Treforest Course Rep Assembly was held on the 29 th November 2016. The attendance at this assembly was the best across all campuses. This also opened with an overview of the Student Voice Rep individual projects. SVRs also attended this assembly specifically to gather feedback for their projects. Wednesday sporting fixtures were mentioned, and were identified as a large problem for some courses, whose modules did not abide by the Wednesday afternoon policy. Lecture attendance was discussed, and many students engaged with a project regarding the policy of recording lectures.

The exact policy was unknown, and it was decided that this would need further attention. If the Course Reps had feedback regarding these issues, they were asked to speak to the relevant SVR. There was only one item on the official agenda for the Treforest CRA, but many other issues were raised under any other business. The Accessible Water motion was also raised at Treforest due to there being some confusion over accessible drinking points. A student mentioned the problems with the Health Centre, who he stated has denied his friend an appointment when in need. It was agreed that students needed access to more information about which health services were used for what, and where to go for first aid. There appeared to be confusion over many policies, namely the smoking policy and what facilities there are in the local area. The Education and Welfare Officer for Pontypridd, Sam Senior, agreed to clarify such policies, and pursue any that needed to be communicated more clearly.

Newport Course Rep Assembly: 30th November 2016 The first Newport Course Rep Assembly took place on the 30 th November 2016, and attendance was

lowest at this campus. SVR projects were also mentioned at this assembly, with the policy of recording lectures gathering more attention and confusion from course reps. The LOOP system was discussed, with generally good comments, and Course Reps were asked to pass on any further feedback to the relevant SVR. The students at Newport campus seemed to be very engaged with the SVR project on edu-tourism opportunities, and were encouraged to continue the discussion with the SVR pursuing the project.

The Accessible Water motion was again brought up for discussion, and students were informed of what had been decided at the Annual General Meeting. Security at the Newport campus was mentioned as a concern, as many students were reported not to feel safe in the building. The Education and Welfare Officer for Cardiff and Newport, Kelsey Taylor, agreed to pass on these concerns to senior and security staff. Another issue that was raised was the Graduation scheduled for Newport. Many students were dissatisfied with this arrangement, and it was reported to them that the concerns were being dealt with. Students were encouraged to raise their own concerns in time for the meeting that was already scheduled with the Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Experience, Dr Ben Calvert.

Glyntaff Course Rep Assembly: 1st December 2016 The first Glyntaff Course Rep Assembly was held on the 1 st December 2016. Attendance was good at this assembly, although it did not match with the attendance at Cardiff and Treforest. SVR projects were discussed at Glyntaff, although the Course Reps in attendance did not seem to have as many comments on these specific issues as on other campuses. Lab access was discussed, as well as the policy on recording lectures. These projects raised some further discussion, and the course reps were asked to get in touch with the relevant SVR if they had any further comments.

Transport problems were mentioned initially, with many students complaining that the bus times between Treforest and Glyntaff were often inaccurate, having a detrimental impact on many students who end up being late for lectures. There was some discussion that there was progress planned for transport between campuses, and the Education and Welfare Officer for Pontypridd, Sam Senior, agreed to report back. Food was also mentioned at Glyntaff, with many people complaining that there were limited vegetarian options, as well as the process being too high across the whole range of food. Concerns over the building were raised, including a lack of disabled access in areas such as the canteen, as well as a general heating problem. It was also mentioned that many doors are locked, and therefore inaccessible to students, cutting into valuable lecture time. It was discussed and was taken back to the course leaders responsible. Timetabling was raised by some students who had many consecutive hours of lectures, leaving them without any break. This was put down to a glitch in

the system, but it was agreed that this was unfair, and Education and Welfare Officer for Pontypridd, Sam Senior, agreed to report back on the matter. There was interest expressed in a Student Rep mixer, allowing reps from other courses and faculties to meet each other. The Student Voice Team agreed to look into planning something where time allowed.

February Course Rep Assemblies Cardiff Course Rep Assembly: 20th February 2017 Although attendance did not match the same level as the November Cardiff Course Rep Assembly, the amount of Course Representatives who attended was still high. A full set of 6 Student Voice Representatives also attended this Assembly, and gave the Course Reps updates on their projects, which included a review of the new Atrium building and the Loop feedback system, and on other issues they had been striving to resolve. The Course Reps had comments to make on each project, and the VP Education and Welfare for Cardiff and Newport, Kelsey Taylor (who was chairing the meeting), also helped to resolve concerns about the project regarding the Atrium opening hours.

The agenda items began with concerns over there being limited storage space and media rooms for students to utilise. The VP for Education and Welfare took the opportunity to reassure the attendees that staff members were aware of this problem. An issue with teaching style on a Business course was raised, with Course Reps agreeing that many lecturers were not interactive enough with their students. It was also mentioned that many students were disappointed by the lack of societies in Cardiff, for which the VP for Education and Welfare related that societies were established by students, meaning that if students did not start them they would not exist.

Most of the matters that were raised in Any Other Business were immediately actioned to Student Voice Reps to consider, showing the value of their role. Complaints about the usability of Blackboard were passed on to the relevant SVR to use in their project on Blackboard, and one of the SVRs present at the meeting volunteered to take comments about constructive feedback to the relevant staff member. The smoking policy was also criticised, although the Students’ Union members of staff did explain that this policy was out of their hands.

Treforest Course Rep Assembly: 21st February 2017 (2pm and 5pm) Due to high demand, two Course Rep Assemblies were held in Treforest in February: one at 2pm and one at 5pm. The daytime Course Rep Assembly proved to be a success, with a slightly higher attendance than the evening assembly reached. 4 Student Voice Reps attended these assemblies, and asked for feedback for their respective projects. The Course Reps had a particularly high number

of comments for the project regarding overcomplicated assignments, and several said they would be interested in partaking in a focus group for the SVR looking at the engagement of student parents.

The only item for the agenda was at the daytime assembly, which was regarding a minor room complaint. The projector in the relevant room was reported to be unstable, and the VP for Student Activities, Rachel Watson (who was chairing the meeting), agreed to pass this feedback on, which has since allowed the matter to be resolved.

The Any Other Business section of both Treforest assemblies raised a wide spectrum of issues, ranging from the smoking policy to concerns about lack of attendance on some courses. Most of the matters raised were academic, with the exception of a complaint about the lack of variety in the SU shop. Concerns about repetition of content in lectures, delayed feedback, and lack of communication from lecturers were all fed back to SVRs to tackle, with the VP for Student Activities, Rachel Watson, agreeing to take these concerns further if the SVRs could make no progress. The Student Voice Team also agreed to look into ways of advertising Course Reps after one student expressed worries that few students understood her role.

Newport Course Rep Assembly: 22nd February 2017 Attendance at the Newport Course Rep Assembly was lowest, replicating what happened in November. With only 3 Course Reps and 1 SVR, engagement with Newport is concerning. The SVR present at the assembly updated the attendees on their project about mental health services in the University.

Although attendance was low in Newport, both items on the agenda sparked lengthy discussions.

One Course Rep questioned why there was a lack of events and careers information at Newport campus, to be informed by the VP Education and Welfare for Cardiff and Newport, Kelsey Taylor (who was chairing the meeting), that events and opportunities are held based on the likelihood of student engagement, and that Newport has a greater system of one-to-one-support. A PGCE Course Rep also took the opportunity to raise awareness about the issues on her course, stating that they have not been given adequate information, their feedback is often delayed, and the Course Leader has not seemed inclined to help. In both cases, the students were asked to get in touch with the Students’ Union Officers outside of the meeting with more details.

There was very little left to discuss during Any Other Business, although a Course Rep did question why so much of lecture time was consumed with setting up any presentations that were being used.

It was noted that this complaint had come from other campuses and so would be looked into.

Glyntaff Course Rep Assembly: 23rd February 2017

The Course Rep Assembly in Glyntaff witnessed the largest drop in attendance from November. There were, however, more actions to report back from the previous Glyntaff meeting than any other. The SVR who was present at the meeting updated the students on their project about the recording of lectures, which was received positively.

There was only one item on the agenda, which was in regards to the policy on extenuating circumstances. It was suggested that the policy was so confusing and difficult that many students were put off by applying, meaning their standard of work slipped. The Students’ Union staff members present agreed to find as many ways as possible to rectify this.

The points raised in the Any Other Business section of the meeting were all resolved by the students present. A query about who to contact about a sports team matter and a question about the redevelopment of Glyntaff campus were answered efficiently and effectively. The only other issue raised was related to timetabling for nursing students, which was said to be sporadic and very unsuitable for mature students who needed to source childcare. The Course Rep in question mentioned that they were going to take the concern to their next Staff Student Course Liaison Group, but had simply wanted to make people aware that it was a concern.

March Course Rep Assemblies Cardiff Course Rep Assembly: 27th March 2017 The Cardiff Course Rep Assembly in March had a lower attendance than that of February, and a high proportion of those in attendance were SVRs. The SVRs gave brief updates about their projects and other issues they have been working on, although they did not have a lot of new information to report since the last assembly. There were also no items on the agenda.

Of the other concerns that were raised in Any Other Business, 2 were in relation to matters that were discussed at the last Cardiff assembly. The smoking policy was touched upon again, and the SVR who had volunteered at the February assembly to pass on complaints about the feedback system updated the attendees; there were now discussions in place with SVR input to improve the current feedback system. The other issues mentioned were comments about limited space for students to review their practical work, and small problems with doors and floors in the Atrium building.

Treforest Course Rep Assembly: 28th March 2017 Attendance at the Treforest Assembly in March saw the biggest drop from November when compared to other campuses, but attendance was still fair. There was only one SVR update, a request for feedback about attendance, which was raised by the Student Voice Coordinator, Hannah Fatkin,

on their behalf.

The agenda items were dealt with efficiently. The first was a continuation of February’s assembly; the lack of variety in the SU shop. The SU President, Jonathan Jones (who was chairing the meeting), asked what students would like to see, but there were few suggestions made. The other agenda item was raised by a student who wished to know what the policy was for the use of Panopto (for the recording of lectures). The policy was clarified, and the students asked to be kept updated as to the progress of implementing Panopto across all Faculties.

All of the issues raised in Any Other Business were regarding assignments and feedback, except for one query about the price of the University gym. Almost all the students who raised matters regarding assessments were advised to talk to their Course Leader before lodging a formal complaint with the Students’ Union. However, one student who complained about having all deadlines bulked into one month was informed that as this was against University policy, the issue would be taken further.

Newport Course Rep Assembly: 29th March 2017 Unfortunately, due to lack of interest in the Newport Course Rep Assembly at this time, the March meeting was cancelled.

Glyntaff Course Rep Assembly: 30th March 2017 The attendance of the March Assembly in Glyntaff was very low, but those who did attend raised a number of valid points, which resulted in a long discussion. There were no SVRs present at the meeting, and there were no items that had been added to the agenda.

Lots of different issues were raised in Any Other Business, of which few were academic matters. The clarification of how food prices are set, why the opening times of the Zone were short and a complaint about the limited parking spaces were noted. There was also a discussion about the lack of access for students to rooms they had booked, due to the automatic locking system of the doors.

The first of the academic matters was a concern raised about the plagiarism policy, and how it is not clear to all new students. The VP for Student Activities, Rachel Watson (who was chairing the meeting), clarified that the policy is different based on each course, but that the feedback would be reviewed. Another student also commented on the lack of relevant books available for each course in the Glyntaff library. They were advised to raise this with their Course Leader, as they are the person who sets the reading list; it was suggested that if there was no luck with this, it should be brought back to the Students’ Union.

Course Representative Assembly Trends Cardiff Campus Trends The Course Rep Assemblies held in Cardiff have been very effective, with good attendance from both Course Reps and SVRs. The SVRs have been very engaged, and have used to their advantage the platform the assemblies give them in regards to communicating what they have been doing to Course Reps. The Cardiff based SVRs have also been very willing to take responsibility for concerns raised, taking the feedback to the relevant staff members.

Most of the issues that were raised at the November assembly were dealt with, and so were not raised again towards the end of the year. However, there were a lot of the same issues mentioned in the February and March assemblies. The lack of storage space caused a lot of confusion in the lead up to exams, as students grew increasingly unsure of where to keep their practical work. The smoking policy was mentioned on multiple occasions, despite the Officers clarifying the policy and explaining that it would not be changed. There has also been a lot of discussion about the quality of feedback in the Faculty of Creative Industries. However, after being picked up in February by one of the SVRs, the feedback in the March assembly was that it was being worked on, with SVR input.

Treforest Campus Trends Treforest campus consistently had the highest attendance of Course Representatives at assemblies throughout this year. There was also very little repetition of the same issues from one assembly to the next, implying that lots of the issues were solved, or in the process of being solved.

Comments about the variety in the Students’ Union shop in Treforest were mentioned in both February and March, but the Officers were not successful in getting enough detailed feedback from the student to take the matter forward. There were also multiple occasions by which students have complained about feedback or assignment details. However, on almost all of these occasions, the students have been advised to take the concern directly to their Course Leader, and only raise it at another assembly if there had been no solution. None of these issues were brought back to the SU, indicating that they have been adequately resolved.

Newport Campus Trends Attendance at the Newport Course Rep Assemblies has consistently been the lowest, with the March assembly being cancelled when nobody signed up. Engagement with Newport is concerning, with few Course Reps and no SVRs being based on this campus. An issue raised in the February assembly

confirmed this, as a student expressed concerns over a lack of social events and careers days on this particular campus.

There have been fewer issues raised in Newport, and no issues have been raised more than once.

Concerns over Newport graduations were dealt with effectively by the Officers by taking the matter to the Pro Vice Chancellor, and complaints over the standard of a PGCE course were directed to the official route for complaints.

Glyntaff Campus Trends Attendance at Glyntaff Course Rep Assemblies has been good, although, unsurprisingly, lower than on Cardiff and Treforest campuses. There is also a much lower proportion of SVRs studying on this campus, meaning SVR updates are not as essential here. Of all campuses, Glyntaff tends to see the most repetition of issues, as most of the issues raised do not have quick fixes. The problems with the automatic door locking system in Glyntaff and limited academic, welfare and entertainment facilities have all been fed back to the Glyntaff Redevelopment working group to consider in their plans. One academic issue that has arisen more than once is regarding timetabling; many mature students and students who travel to Uni every day have struggled to attend University due to sporadic lecture times. This issue was discussed amongst the Course Reps, who supported each other in taking the concerns to Student Staff Course Liaison Group meetings.

Trends across all campuses in 2016/17 Engagement with Course Rep Assemblies over the year 2016/17 has been good, although attendance has declined the later into the year the assemblies were held (as seen in the previous section ‘The Year in Numbers’. As expected, Cardiff and Treforest campuses saw the highest attendance of students, and attendance at Newport was considerably lower than the rest.

What has been clear is that the engagement of SVRs in Course Rep Assemblies is crucial for ensuring communication channels are effective. The SVRs in Cardiff have engaged particularly well this year, and they have effectively picked up many of the issues with staff members. Course Reps have responded well to hearing SVR updates, and encouraging this communication is a priority. It is has been hard to provide Glyntaff and Newport with the same level of SVR engagement at Course Rep Assemblies as we only had four SVRs based at Glyntaff and none based at Newport. There needs to be a focus on providing each campus with good representation and the FCI Cardiff SVRs have shown what can be done when they work together strongly as a team.

In the Course Rep Assemblies, it has become clear to us that Course Reps need to be to be encouraged to tackle issues themselves with their Course Leader, instead of bringing it to an

assembly first. On many occasions this year students were advised to raise the query with the relevant staff member, and only raise it again in an assembly if the issue persisted. Many of these problems were subsequently solved. This is something that Student Voice Team will look at in the new training provided in the next academic year.

Each campus primarily had concerns affecting their own location, yet one theme that appeared to be an issue across all campuses was delayed feedback, and a lack of quality feedback. Cardiff and Treforest students mentioned problems with delayed feedback on multiple occasions, and students across all campuses raised concerns about the quality of their feedback. Many Course Reps were encouraged to bring the matter up with their Course Leader to see if it could be resolved, but from student comments there appear to be varying levels of success.

There were a few other university-wide issues that were brought to our attention at the Course Rep Assemblies. The Accessible Water motion was raised on three different campuses, indicating the level of concern expressed by students. The Students’ Union Officers reported back on each campus that the situation was progressing following the Annual General Meeting, and that students would be kept updated. Food options were raised on more than one campus, with particular attention paid to the limited amount of vegetarian and vegan options, and the issue of transport and parking appeared to be very concerning for many students in Pontypridd.

Issues Identified within the Course Representative Scheme 1. Training sessions too bulky Action: the Student Voice Team will be creating different training sessions for new Course Reps and returners, with the aim of making them shorter as well.

2. Need more skills development training Action: the Student Voice Team will be improving Extra Development training sessions to include more tasks to consolidate their students learning.

3. Wish for there to be Course Rep socials Action: the Student Voice Team will set up a social event in the Autumn Term (hopefully, if there is interest in all campuses), with team-building and ice breakers. It is our hope for the students to then facilitate more socials throughout the year, perhaps through a new society.

4. Change to meeting times Action: the Student Voice Team will ensure that we hold training and Course Rep Assemblies on different days on the four campuses throughout the year, however, in our end of year Course Rep Feedback Survey, it is clear that after 5pm is the best time for the majority of students.

5. Easier way of reporting feedback to Students’ Union Action: the Student Voice Team will be looking into the possibility of having a form on the website where course reps can give feedback directly to the Students’ Union.

6. Greater clarity of the role Action: the Student Voice Team will produce a written document that outlines the role and its expectation, along with a timetable for the year. This would allow the Course Leader to hand these out to the year group so they can see if they would like the role before going up for their class elections.

7. Change of rules to certificates Action: many students have come to the Student Voice Team to discuss a possible change of rules to the Course Rep certificate, we will review the rules over the summer ready for the new academic year.

8. Produce more online content Action: the Student Voice Team intends to review their section of their website and the Course Rep Organisation on Blackboard. We also will look into the potential of online training with quizzes.

9. A platform for Course Reps and SVRs to communicate Action: the Student Voice Team will research different ways we can ensure the communication channels are open in a way that is most beneficial and efficient for the students.

10. More newsletters Action: the Student Voice Team are changing the way we communicate with reps this year.

Newsletters will be sent out fortnightly, with other email communication kept to a minimum.

11. Help with all the acronyms Action: the Student Voice Team will be producing a Jargon list.

12. More recognition for the role Action: the Student Voice Team is in talks with the University to see about the possibility of the Course Rep role (and SVR), on student transcripts.

Student Voice Representative Year Overview Last year (2015/16), in the Students’ Union annual elections, there were 10 SVRs elected. Before the

start of the Autumn term, 5 of those Student Voice Reps were trained. A further 10 were trained between September and November, including those SVRs who were elected in the previous year and those elected in the October by-elections.

Already, by the 19th September, there were SVRs attending University committee meetings.

The 22 SVRs were split up to attend a range of faculty and university committees: 4 sat on the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Committee (LTEC), 2 to 3 per faculty to sit on their Faculty Learning and Teaching Enhancement Committee, and 2 to 3 per faculty to sit on their Faculty Quality Assurance Committee.

SVRs also attended the Course Rep Extra Development training to help further their skills and to also meet Course Reps. They also met Course Reps at Course Rep Assemblies where they also had to inform them of the progress of the SVR projects. In some Course Rep Assemblies, the SVRs were instrumental in getting issues solved, particularly at Cardiff campus.

Our Annual General Meeting was the biggest yet, with 12 individual motions to discuss. It was compulsory for all SVRs to attend this meeting, this was mostly kept to with a few small acceptable exceptions.

One last by-elections was held in December, where another 8 SVRs were elected. This helped the Faculty of Life Sciences and Education especially taking its number from 1 to 5 SVRs. The majority of these new SVRs were trained before the end of term to help them start the new year in their roles.

At the start of the new year, most of the SVRs had already started their projects or knew what they intended to look at. Here is a small description of each SVRs project:

Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science Rimsha Ali - The benefits of recording lectures for students Katie Gosling - Wednesday afternoon away sports fixtures affecting lectures Rhys Pewtner - The support that student partners are currently receiving at USW Hilde Berge - Can students access labs and specialised equipment Siam Sultanul - Three student mentoring ideas that will benefit students

Faculty of Business and Society Sian Jones - How can USW ensure that retention rates do not rise

Omoboyede Alalabiaye - Enrolment and retention rates of International students Holly Rees - Assessment guidelines helpbook for students Adam Simmons - A study into the attendance of lectures Niall O'Reilly - How the extenuating circumstances process needs to be amended to benefit students Dorothy Ifeoma Okere - A look at Edu Tourism at USW

Faculty of Life Sciences and Education Harriet Cuddihy - Is Blackboard user friendly or too complex?

Carys Scourfield - USW students’ awareness of the mental health available to them Adam Williams - Students teaching students: the need for extra help on learning resources methods Joe Williams - No study topic or project provided Jacob Bullen - No study topic or project provided

Faculty of Creative Industries Laura Goldup - The problems with interdisciplinary media loans Rebecca Lesieutre - Review of the new Atrium building: is it an effective learning space?

Joe Murray - Campaign for Atrium library to be made 24/7 Andrea D'Acunzo - A review of the Loop feedback system Charys Bestley - A celebration of all the arts in the Atrium Elis Widgery - Transformative learning and social spaces in Atrium and Atlantic House

These projects are in the form of a 1,500 report that identifies the issue, the student feedback that the SVR has gathered and the recommendations for a solution that is most agreeable for the students.

The SVRs have made themselves incredibly useful this year. They have been committed to helping students who have contacted them or the Students’ Union looking for help with academic issues, they have attending meetings across all four campuses on a variety of topics, given feedback to the Students’ Union, Course Leaders, Schools, Faculties, Quality Assurance, Blackboard and the Pro Vice Chancellor of Student Experience, they have also helped with numerous events and activities such as: Freshers’ Fayre, Speak Week, Student Choice Awards, Open Days, Elections and Ballot Stations, Charity Week and many more.

They have been instrumental in helping both the Students’ Union and the University. In the last months of their tenure, they have been extremely helpful in spreading the news about the restructuring, encouraging students to provide the Students’ Union with feedback and campaigning against changes.

Student Voice Representative Feedback Analysis Number of Responses: 17 (77.27%) Faculty

Business and Society (FBS)

Computing, Engineering and Science (FCES)

Life Sciences and Education (FLSE)

Creative Industries (FCI)

6

5

3

3

Number of SVRs

Question: Do you believe you received sufficient communication from your Student Rep Support Team (Sophie Banks and Hannah Fatkin (plus formerly Sian Drew)? If not, how could this be improved in the future? If too much, how could this be related to you in a manner more appropriate for you? 16 (94.12%) Answer

Number of Responses

Effective Communication

13 (81.25%)

Okay Communication

3 (18.75%)

Ineffective Communication

0 (0.0%)

Question: Do you feel you were able to communicate sufficiently with the Course Representatives you represent? If not, how could this be improved?

17(100%) Answer

Number of Responses

Yes

2 (11.76%)

Partly

3 (17.65%)

No

12 (70.59%)

Improvement suggestions: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Discussion board for Course Reps and SVRs Social event Make it clear that Course Reps have to communicate with SVRs Engagement rankings for Courses More rewards for Course Reps Course Reps need to be elected rather than chosen for role Course Reps who don’t go to training should be replaced

Question: Do you think you were adequately trained for the role? Would you have benefitted from further training? If so, in which areas? 16 (94.12%) Answer

Number of Responses

Adequate Training

14 (87.5%)

Inadequate Training

2 (12.5%)

Training suggestions: ● ● ● ● ●

What happens after training section Greater clarity on difference between Course Rep and SVR roles Need a jargon buster More focus on anonymity Student Voice Team to help with introductions with University staff

Question: Do you believe your communications with Faculty staff were sufficient? (Heads of Student Experience, Deans, Deputy Deans, Pro-Vice Chancellor, etc.) If not, please detail how you think this could be improved in the future 16 (94.12%)

Answer

Number of Responses

Yes

12 (75%)

No

4 (25%)

Question: Is there anything else that the Student Rep Support Team needs to be thinking about developing or changing for next year’s SVRs? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Defining the role more clearly to the students More work on filling all positions Socials so SVRs can work stronger as a team Work on communication channels between reps and staff Work on Course Rep engagement More Student Voice Team staff More meetings to bring SVRs and Course Reps together Student Voice Team to be tougher on non-productive SVRs More recognition from facilities Not feeling listened to in big meetings More communication about other opportunities - Ballot Stations etc.

Training to split into smaller sections More meetings at different campuses other than Treforest Clear definition as to what was important and less important communication from the Student Voice Team

Question: Please identify what you like about the role? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Getting to learn new ideas Informative meetings Excellent feedback Getting an insight into a big organisation Talking to students and staff about courses and facilities Being able to sit on revalidation events SVR hoodies Meeting new people Attending meetings and finding myself responsible Challenging academics on student issues The Student Voice Team and their support Enjoyed the FQAC meetings Enjoyed expressing the views of students on their behalf The role has given me the confidence to talk to important members of the University

● The ability to see an issues and be able to act on it, in the confidence that something would ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

get done Getting to know that there are people in the university system that care about the student experience - we aren’t alone Comradery between SVRs Being in a position to implement change Seeing my influence actually bring about change Enjoyed that the Student Voice Team were always available should I need advice Loved meeting with my Head of Teaching, Learning and Student Experience The love and support the Student Voice Team provided, their attitude towards work was just a joy to the whole process It is not just something you can put on a CV, but you can also make friends and enjoy the responsibility of the role

The SVRs were also offered the opportunity to give anonymous feedback but no one has done so.

Data Collected from the Student Voice Representative Forum Minutes Autumn Term SVR Forum: 9th December 2016, held in Cardiff Campus The attendance of the first SVR forum was at 54%, with 8 out of the 15 attending. The attendance rate of these meetings is always an issue due to the SVRs all studying on different campuses.

The Students’ Union Vice President for Education and Welfare (Cardiff and Newport), Kelsey Taylor, chaired this meeting. Lots of different issues were raised, mainly relating to the individual projects of the SVRs, such as: gathering student feedback on their thoughts on the new feedback system Loop, retention rates of students in Faculty of Business and Society, the student population’s knowledge of the mental health services available to them, access to specialised equipment, labs or software, attendance in lectures, the recording of lectures to help students with revision, and issues regarding the interference of away sports fixtures with lectures.

The SVRs also discussed how their committee meetings were going and whether they had met with key members of staff yet.

Spring/Summer Term SVR Forum: 24th February 2017, held in Treforest Campus

The attendance of the February SVR Forum was lower than the previous term. 8 SVRs attended this meeting but our total number of SVRs at this point was now 22, compared to 15, making only 37% in attendance.

This Forum mainly focused on the SVRs updating the Student Voice Team on the progress of their projects. This was also an opportunity for the SVRs to engage with and help each others projects.

Most of the outcomes were that the SVRs were at the stage of gathering student feedback to validate their SVR projects. The only other issue to come out of this Forum was based around how to encourage Course Reps to give positive feedback as well as negative.

SVR Forum: 24th March 2017, held in Cardiff Campus The attendance of the March Forum was consistent with the February Forum, with 8 SVRs in attendance (37%). This was the shortest of all the Forums, with mainly the Student Voice Team reporting to the SVRs. This was due to the SVRs being in the midst of doing their projects and not requiring much help for the stages they were at.

The subjects of the reportings from the Student Voice Team were the Speak Week campaign, the Student Choice Awards, the upcoming elections and lastly on their last individual meetings before handing in their projects.

Issues Identified with the Student Voice Representative Scheme 1. Improvement to SVR Forums Action: the Student Voice Team will find ways to encourage more SVRs to come to these meetings and ensure that there are always Students’ Union present to keep this communication channel open.

2. SVRs are unsure on everything they have to do Action: In training, the Student Voice Team, will give more of a focus in the training to supplement the key tasks being in the SVR Handbook

3. Unsure on the rules about their project Action: this was taking on this year, however, from early on in the year, the SVRs will have a clear project handbook

4. Lack of communication channels between Course Reps and SVRs Action: the Student Voice Team will ensure that Course Rep training has a great focus on communication. We will also look into easier ways of Course Rep and SVRs communication.

5. University and students don’t always know what SVRs do Action: Begin running a blog with SVRs to showcase what they do throughout the year.

6. Difference in the way the Student Voice Team communicates with Course Reps and SVRs Action: A newsletter for SVRs to communicate with them that is similar to the Course Reps

7. More work on filling all positions Action: the Student Voice Team is working with individual schools to ensure that this will happen.

8. Socials so SVRs can work stronger as a team Action: the Student Voice Team will run a social in the first term of the new academic year.

9. Don’t feel they have open communication channels with all staff Action: the Student Voice Team is working with individual schools to ensure that this will happen.

10. Training to split into smaller sections Action: a review of SVR training will done over the summer.

11. More meetings at different campuses other than Treforest Action: the Student Voice Team has made a year plan and has taken this into account.

12. Clear definition as to what was important and less important communication from the Student Voice Team Action: this will be taken into account with the new SVRs newsletters

Speak Week Campaign Overview The Speak Week campaign was held the week of the 27th March. The campaign was not as big as intended due to the Student Voice Team being short staffed due to illness plus an issue with travelling to Newport campus at this time. However, SVRs and Course Reps stepped in to help with the Student Voice Team run this campaign. Over the three days (Cardiff, Treforest and Glyntaff), we collated 154 responses from students. This was supplemented, for the first time, with an anonymous online feedback system, where we received 10 different responses. Overall, we received 164 responses.

All of these responses are anonymous, allowing the students to feel like they can give the feedback they truly want to give. These responses have been digitalised and separated into groupings such as: parking, food, Atrium campus, Newport campus, Treforest campus, Glyntaff campus, Students’ Union, University of South Wales, library, estates, teaching, IT, Sports and so on.

This categorisation will make it easier for the Student Voice Team to analyse the data we received

and report back to the relevant departments/members of staff in order for them to take onboard the students feedback we have received.

Speak Week Campaign Data Number of Speak Week Responses: 164 Campus Number of Responses

Treforest

Glyntaff

Newport

Cardiff

Online

60 (36.59%)

10 (6.10%)

0 (0%)

84 (51.22%)

10 (6.10%)

Number of Categories: 24 Please note that some responses required two categories, and a few required three.

Category

Responses

Campus (Online/Glyntaff/Treforest/Cardiff)

18 (10.98%)

0/ 1/ 7/ 10

Accommodation

2 (1.22%)

1/ 0/ 1/ 0

Attendance

2 (1.22%)

1/ 0/ 0/ 1

13 (7.93%)

1/ 0/ 0/ 12

1 (0.61%)

0/ 0/ 0/ 1

19 (11.59%)

1/ 1/ 5/ 12

Engagement

3 (1.83%)

0/ 0/ 1/ 2

Estates

9 (5.49%)

0 /0/ 0/ 9

23 (14.02%)

2/ 4/ 8/ 9

International Students

1 (0.61%)

0/ 0/ 1/ 0

IT/Computers

7 (4.27%)

0/ 0/ 3/ 4

12 (7.32%)

0/ 0/ 4/ 8

6 (3.66%)

0/ 0/ 0/ 6

Academic Staff

Atrium, Cardiff Campus Blackboard Courses (named by students)

Food

Library Moving Campus

Newport Campus

1 (0.61%)

1/ 0/ 0/ 0

Non-Academic Staff

1 (0.61%)

0/ 0/ 1/ 0

Parking

5 (3.05%)

1/ 3/ 1/ 0

Room Bookings

4 (2.44%)

0/ 0/ 0/ 4

Smoking Policy

9 (5.49%)

1/ 0/ 0/ 0

Sports

2 (1.22%)

0/ 0/ 2/ 0

25 (15.24%)

3/ 0/ 15/ 7

Teaching

7 (4.27%)

0/ 0/ 2/ 5

Timetabling

2 (1.22%)

0/ 1/ 0/ 1

10 (6.10%)

0/ 0/ 10/ 0

26 (15.85%)

0/ 0/ 19/ 7

Students’ Union

Treforest Campus University of South Wales

Ratio of Positive to Negative Comments by Category: Category

Positive Comments

Negative Comments

Academic Staff

7

11

Accommodation

0

2

Attendance

0

2

Atrium, Cardiff Campus

6

7

Blackboard

1

0

Courses (named by students)

7

12

Engagement

1

2

Estates

0

9

Food

6

17

International Students

0

1

IT/Computers

1

6

Library

5

7

Moving Campus

0

6

Newport Campus

0

1

Non-Academic Staff

1

0

Parking

0

5

Room Bookings

0

4

Smoking Policy

0

1

Sports

1

1

13

12

Teaching

4

3

Timetabling

0

2

Treforest Campus

1

9

15

11

69 (34.5%)

131 (65.5%)

Students’ Union

University of South Wales Total

Ratio of Positive to Negative Comments by Campus: Campus

Positive

Negative

Online

1 (10%)

9 (90%)

Glyntaff

0 (0%)

10 (100%)

Treforest

24 (40%)

36 (60%)

Cardiff

29 (34.52%)

55 (65.48%)

The feedback we received from the students is vital for both the Students’ Union and the University.

It allows both to understand the current situations, feelings, and thoughts students have about a wide variety of topics. Positive feedback is always welcomed and helps us understand what students what to see continue. Negative feedback, in a way, is more helpful. Negative feedback allows us both to know what needs to change to keep the students happy and engaged within their time at

University of South Wales.

All feedback, both positive and negative, will be passed onto the relevant departments/members of staff in due course. We, the Students’ Union, hope that in receiving student feedback, improvements or adjustments will be made. In the case of Students’ Union feedback, we will aim to look at every response to see if we can take it aboard and make adjustments.

Issues identified with the Speak Week Campaign 1. Improve the online feedback system for Speak Week Action: it firstly needs better promotion and an easier link to the front page of the Students’ Union website.

2. Better promotion of the campaign Action: we have moved the campaign to a different time in the academic year to allow us to better promote the campaign.

3. Find ways of encouraging positive feedback as well as negative Action: the Student Voice Team will look into incentives of giving positive and negative feedback, perhaps with a competition.

4. Recruit more student volunteers to engage with more of the student population Action: this will be easier with the change in timing of the campaign, as students will not be as busier with exams/assignments at this point.

5. Get Students’ Union Officers involved Action: Once again, this will be easier with the change of time for the campaign, however, the new Students’ Union officers have a full list of key Student Voice Team dates.

Student Choice Awards Overview The start of the process of this year’s Student Choice Awards started with opening of the nominations form. This year there were two different forms: one for students with the option to vote in every category, and one for staff with the option to vote only for the student categories. Planning for this had begun in early January, when the Student Voice Team, with the Students’ Union backing, decided to change the name of some awards, cut some out and add new ones in. The awards this year were:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Best Lecturer Best Course Leader Best Academic Supervisor Best Module Outstanding Student Support (for non-teaching staff) Course Rep of the Year Student Voice Rep of the Year Most Inspirational Student of the Year

The nomination forms were available online through Google Forms, however, it was made clear that if anyone had any issues accessing or filling out the form, they could email the Education and Representation Coordinator in the Student Voice Team, Sophie Banks. The nomination period last a whole month; from the 15th February to the 15th March. It was clear from the first five days of the nomination period that we were going to beat last year’s nomination count of 290. Once, we hit 290 (our first target), we then set a high target of 1,000 nominations. We were amazed to see our second target hit, with not long left in the nomination period we decided to set a final target of 1,290, therefore beating last year’s target by 1,000. The Students’ Union is amazed by the total number of 1,332; we beat last year’s responses by 1,042. This fantastic response would not have been achieved without student’s engagement with the awards and their good will in naming those around them who have made a difference. On top of this, it was also with the help of both teaching and nonteaching staff that the nominations number rose. Both, provided us with heartfelt words about students who they felt deserved recognition this academic year.

Once the nomination period was over, the Student Voice Team then began making all the nominations anonymous - without any references to names, courses and genders. The Student Voice Team did this process on the 1,332 nominations to ensure that voting on them would be as fair as possible. One day after the end of the voting period, the first judging panel was held. 7 members of University of South Wales and Students’ Union staff met on the 16th March to read through the nominations for the three student awards (Course Rep of the Year, SVR of the Year and Most

Inspirational Student of the Year). The Student Voice Team provided them with the anonymous nominations, that denoted each separate student as ‘Student 1’, ‘Student 2’, and so on. They were asked to each come up with the shortlist of just 5 students for each award. This was the hardest, and the longest, part of the judging panel with some discussion as to what makes one worthy of the said award and how the nominations show this. In most awards, the shortlisted were agreed by all.

However, where it was not, for example, we had four that all panel members agreed on but we divided over two for the number 5 slot. We run a vote to decide between the two. Once the shortlist was agreed upon, we then asked them to vote. The Student Voice Team decided to use a Single Transferable Vote system, which follows what we use in the Students’ Union elections. Once again, this was done to try and make the whole system as fair as possible. In the case of the Most Inspirational Student of the Year award, the staff decided that one nomination (that was three pages long), was deserving of an award regardless. The Student Voice Team decided to add in a Special Recognition Award just for the three students who were nominated from the PASS team.

The next day, the 17th March, we held the student judging panels. This was made up of both current Course Reps and SVRs. The Student Voice Team decided to split the day in two halves. This was done on two accounts; firstly, to allow us time to collate the results of the faculty winners in order to produce documentation for the students to then vote on the winner of winners, and secondly, to split our time in between Treforest and Cardiff, in order to have a wider scope of student voters. In the morning, in Treforest, 8 students sat down and read the nominations for four of the staff awards (Best Lecturer, Best Course Leader, Best Academic Supervisor and Best Module). They followed the exact same process as the staff judging panel did the day before, however, they were voting for a winner in each faculty, therefore the process took a lot longer as the voted for 16 winners. The Student Voice Team then figured out each faculty winner from the four categories and collated the information ready for the day’s second judging panel in Cardiff. Five students in Cardiff voted for the winner of winners each of the four forementioned staff categories. They also voted for the winner of the non-teaching staff award - Outstanding Student Support.

The awards ceremony was oversubscribed and the free tickets (which reserved a seat), sold out within a few days. There is only so many people that can be safely seated in the Eclipse venue (in the Students’ Union). This does mean that we need to consider the event as a bigger event as it has been regarded in the past. The awards ceremony itself was a lovely event, where we saw conversations cross faculty, cross campuses and between staff and students. It was a wonderful event, rewarding staff and students alike on their hard work, perseverance and determination.

Every person who was nominated has been listed on the Students’ Union website, where you can also find those shortlisted and the winners in each categories. The winners for each award are listed below: Best Course Leader FBS - Bela Arora CES – Lewis Fall FCI – Catherine Purcell LSE – Lesley Harbidge Winner of winners - Lewis Fall

Best Module FBS - International Business – Gabor Horvath CES – Clinical Practice – Catherine Fall (Lewis Fall) FCI – Forensic Psychology – Rachel Taylor LSE – Design and Animate – Sarah Strickett Winner of winners - Rachel Taylor

Best Academic Supervisor FBS - Kevin Brown CES – Ali Roula FCI – Catherine Purcell LSE – Richard Parfitt Winner of winners – Kevin Brown

Best Lecturer FBS - Andy Croll CES – Lewis Fall

FCI – Catherine Purcell LSE – Sally Lisk-Lewis Winner of winners – Catherine Purcell

Outstanding Student Support Emma Thomas

Special Recognition Award Mina Yacoub, Akira Ikenaga and Vinko Jezercic

Course Rep of the Year Szimona Szórádóva

SVR of the Year Rimsha Ali

Most Inspirational Student of the Year Sophie Simmonds

Student Choice Awards Data Number of Student Choice Award Nominations: 1,332 Award Name

Number of Nominations

Best Lecturer

358 (26.88%)

Best Academic Supervisor

127 (9.53%)

Best Course Leader

200 (15.02%)

Best Module

212 (15.92%)

Outstanding Student Support

137 (10.29%)

Course Rep of the Year

127 (9.53%)

SVR of the Year

39 (2.93%)

Most Inspirational Student of the Year

132 (9.91%)

Number of awards given in the Student Choice Awards: 25 (5 for Best Lecturer, 5 for Best Supervisor, 5 for Best Module, 5 for Best Course Leader, 1 for Outstanding Student Support, 1 for Special Recognition Award, 1 for Course Rep of the Year, 1 for SVR of the Year, and 1 for Most Inspirational Student of the Year).

Number of People who Made nominations: 443 Award Name

Number of Nominations

Students

408 (92.10%)

Staff

15 (3.39%)

Did not leave their name

20 (4.51%)

Number of awards given in the Student Choice Awards: 25:

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Best Lecturer - 5 Best Supervisor - 5 Best Module - 5 Best Course Leader - 5 Outstanding Student Support - 1 Special Recognition Award - 1 Course Rep of the Year - 1 SVR of the Year - 1 Most Inspirational Student of the Year - 1

Number of Nominations by Faculty: Faculty

Number of Responses

Computing, Engineering and Science (FCES)

131 (29.64%)

Business and Society (FBS)

86 (19.46%)

Life Sciences and Education (FLSE)

119 (26.92%)

Creative Industries (FCI)

95 (21.49%)

Students’ Union

2 (0.45%)

Executive

1 (0.23%)

Did not give this information

8 (1.81%)

Wordle Using the Nominations:

Issues Identified with the Student Choice Awards 1. Tickets selling out Action: The Student Voice Team will look into the possibility of holding the awards in a bigger venue.

2. Not enough time for mixer Action: Include a larger section of the night that focuses solely on communication and mixing

3. Students unclear on process of the awards Action: The Student Voice Team will make the process of judging the awards more public, so students can see the anonymising of the nominations and the judging panel.

Conclusion This year has been a fantastic year in many ways. We have seen amazing engagement levels in some Course Reps and SVRs. We also beat the Student Choice Awards nominations number by over a 1,000. However, as always, there is room to improve. Throughout this report, there has been many issues and actions listed, all of which are listed at the end of this report. This is not all the things we wish to consider doing for the next academic year but just the start of it. The Student Voice Team’s

main aim to make the Course Rep and SVR schemes more user-friendly: we want it to be easier for staff and students alike to engage with the schemes. As student representation is our focal point in all that we do in our roles.

List of Issues Identified and Actions 1. Training sessions too bulky Action: the Student Voice Team will be creating different training sessions for new Course Reps and returners, with the aim of making them shorter as well.

2. Need more skills development training Action: the Student Voice Team will be improving Extra Development training sessions to include more tasks to consolidate their students learning.

3. Wish for there to be Course Rep socials Action: the Student Voice Team will set up a social event in the Autumn Term (hopefully, if there is interest in all campuses), with team-building and ice breakers. It is our hope for the students to then facilitate more socials throughout the year, perhaps through a new society.

4. Change to meeting times Action: the Student Voice Team will ensure that we hold training and Course Rep Assemblies on different days on the four campuses throughout the year, however, in our end of year Course Rep Feedback Survey, it is clear that after 5pm is the best time for the majority of students.

5. Easier way of reporting feedback to Students’ Union Action: the Student Voice Team will be looking into the possibility of having a form on the website where course reps can give feedback directly to the Students’ Union.

6. Greater clarity of the role Action: the Student Voice Team will produce a written document that outlines the role and its expectation, along with a timetable for the year. This would allow the Course Leader to hand these out to the year group so they can see if they would like the role before going up for their class elections.

7. Change of rules to certificates Action: many students have come to the Student Voice Team to discuss a possible change of rules to the Course Rep certificate, we will review the rules over the summer ready for the new academic year.

8. Produce more online content Action: the Student Voice Team intends to review their section of their website and the Course Rep Organisation on Blackboard. We also will look into the potential of online training with quizzes.

9. A platform for Course Reps and SVRs to communicate Action: the Student Voice Team will research different ways we can ensure the communication channels are open in a way that is most beneficial and efficient for the students.

10. More newsletters Action: the Student Voice Team are changing the way we communicate with reps this year.

Newsletters will be sent out fortnightly, with other email communication kept to a minimum.

11. Help with all the acronyms Action: the Student Voice Team will be producing a Jargon list.

12. More recognition for the role Action: the Student Voice Team is in talks with the University to see about the possibility of the Course Rep role (and SVR), on student transcripts.

13. Improvement to SVR Forums Action: the Student Voice Team will find ways to encourage more SVRs to come to these meetings and ensure that there are always Students’ Union present to keep this communication channel open.

14. SVRs are unsure on everything they have to do Action: In training, the Student Voice Team, will give more of a focus in the training to supplement the key tasks being in the SVR Handbook

15. Unsure on the rules about their project Action: this was taking on this year, however, from early on in the year, the SVRs will have a clear project handbook

16. Lack of communication channels between Course Reps and SVRs Action: the Student Voice Team will ensure that Course Rep training has a great focus on communication. We will also look into easier ways of Course Rep and SVRs communication.

17. University and students don’t always know what SVRs do Action: Begin running a blog with SVRs to showcase what they do throughout the year.

18. Difference in the way the Student Voice Team communicates with Course Reps and SVRs Action: A newsletter for SVRs to communicate with them that is similar to the Course Reps

19. More work on filling all positions Action: the Student Voice Team is working with individual schools to ensure that this will happen.

20. Socials so SVRs can work stronger as a team Action: the Student Voice Team will run a social in the first term of the new academic year.

21. Don’t feel they have open communication channels with all staff Action: the Student Voice Team is working with individual schools to ensure that this will happen.

22. Training to split into smaller sections Action: a review of SVR training will done over the summer.

23. More meetings at different campuses other than Treforest Action: the Student Voice Team has made a year plan and has taken this into account.

24. Clear definition as to what was important and less important communication from the Student Voice Team Action: this will be taken into account with the new SVRs newsletter

25. Improve the online feedback system for Speak Week Action: it firstly needs better promotion and an easier link to the front page of the Students’ Union website.

26. Better promotion of the campaign Action: we have moved the campaign to a different time in the academic year to allow us to better promote the campaign.

27. Find ways of encouraging positive feedback as well as negative Action: the Student Voice Team will look into incentives of giving positive and negative feedback, perhaps with a competition.

28. Recruit more student volunteers to engage with more of the student population Action: this will be easier with the change in timing of the campaign, as students will not be as busier with exams/assignments at this point.

29. Get Students’ Union Officers involved Action: Once again, this will be easier with the change of time for the campaign, however, the new Students’ Union officers have a full list of key Student Voice Team dates.

30. Tickets selling out Action: The Student Voice Team will look into the possibility of holding the awards in a bigger venue.

31. Not enough time for mixer Action: Include a larger section of the night that focuses solely on communication and mixing

32. Students unclear on process of the awards Action: The Student Voice Team will make the process of judging the awards more public, so students can see the anonymising of the nominations and the judging panel.

Education and Representation Coordinator, Sophie Banks Student Voice Coordinator Hannah Fatkin Student Voice Team University of South Wales Students’ Union June 2017