VP Education

1 July 20

Term of Office started

1 Sept 20

In collaboration with the faculty librarian for ACE, we have developed a zine project which will represent the students’ voice for the Attainment Gap project, addressing the different themes of the project such as Talking about Race and Decolonising the Curriculum. The zine will provide a cross-disciplinary platform for students and staff to share their stories, comments, views on diversity at UWE and beyond, with a strong focus on decolonisation. Also, i will also be starting a project with the library team titled decolonising my reading list.

8 Dec 20

Since the lunch of the zine project, we have organised three different workshops to educate and answer any questions students might have in regards to submitting a zine. However, due to the low submission entry we have received this academic year, we have pushed the submission deadline to 5th February 2021. My campaign titled 'Decolonising my reading list' aims to ensure that the library collection and reading lists speak to all voices, particularly those that are traditionally underrepresented in curricula and on reading lists. We are inviting everyone at UWE Bristol to suggest diverse authors that can be added to the library collection and reading lists. For more information on how you can suggest a book, please visit: https://www.uwe.ac.uk/study/library/our-libraries/library-activities-and-groups/decolonising-your-library#section-2

10 Mar 21

To give students more time to enter the zine competition, we have extended the deadline to 14 June 2021. We would also continue to run workshops once each month to support students. Students stand a chance to win a £20 voucher monthly by nominating a book they would like to see on their reading list or library shelfs.

1 July 20

Term of Office started

1 Sept 20

Started initial conversations with VP Community and welfare.

8 Dec 20

Still in ongoing conversations with the partnership working group focused on learning communities and initiating conversation on holding an academic community week driven by students next academic year.

10 Mar 21

After all initial discussions and brainstorming on how to execute the project. Currently on the data collection stage. Data gotten from this stage will be used to shape the ongoing project plan. We aim to personalise our approach to the different faculties and if possible, tailor it to the programmes. Co-creation is vital, hence the data collection section. Interviews with PL’s.Faculty representatives on steering group are to identify PL’s to interview, drawing on the NSS 2020 scores for learning communities question, programmes which have shown significant improvement in this category over 3/4 years, programmes where innovations have been tried but not succeed. There is a minimum of 3 interviews per faculty. The Students' Union and student representatives in the steering group will be curating questions to facilitate focus groups with academic society leads, LDR’s, and student reps. Our aim is to gain some understanding of the student experience within the faculty. Student Engagement Events and Survey. A survey will be created by the steering group to go out to the general student population. Student engagement events in the future would be the academic societies having a task to organise an event under one of the three umbrellas; social, personal skills and development, employability and career. There is possible scope for faculties to create funding for these activities for the academic societies. The student engagement events piece is still being looked into.

10 May 21

In the weeks ahead, the project team would be organising a discussion groups and data gotten from this stage will be used to shape the ongoing project plan. We intend to personalise our approach to the different faculties and tailored it to the programmes. There are three streams under the data collection section which included; Interviews with program leaders.Faculty representatives on steering group are to identify program leaders to interview, drawing on the NSS 2020 scores for learning communities question, programmes which have shown significant improvement in this category over Three or Four years, programmes where innovations have been tried but not succeed. There is a minimum of three interviews per faculty. The SU and student representatives in the steering group will be curating questions to facilitate focus groups with academic society leads, lead department reps (LDR), and student reps. Our aim is to gain some understanding of the student experience within the faculty. Student Engagement Events and Survey. A survey will be created by the steering group to go out to the general student population. Student engagement events in the future would be the academic societies having a task to organise an event under one of the three umbrellas; social, personal skills and development, employability and career. There is possible scope for faculties to create funding for these activities for the academic societies. The student engagement events piece is still being looked into

1 July 20

Term of Office started

1 Sept 20

I had a conversation with the PAL manager and we agreed that: (1) i will support in effectuating joined-up working between PAL leaders and Academic Reps so student feedback (positive and negative) reaches the PAL team and feedback loops are closed. (2) We agreed it’s crucial to be accurate and consistent in our messaging about PAL not being a taught session, and PAL leaders not teaching or acting as teachers. Facilitating, mentoring and role modelling are the three hats our PAL leaders wear once being fully trained up. (3) Finally, I have fed into PAL activity for Block 0.

1 July 20

Term of Office started

1 Sept 20

Following up from my work last year, I intend to continue to puch for enhanced feedback. I have reached out to academic directors to continue the conversation and I have also raised this a a discussion point with the University directorates and I am aware that this is also one the Unveristies aganed as the intend to set up a working group in the near future.

8 Dec 20

As the co-chair of the assessment and feedback partnership project, we are keen that we do have an institutional focus on assessment and feedback as part of S2030. Rather, assessment and feedback should be central to the student journey, to personalisation, graduate outcomes and closing retention, progress and award gaps. We are kicking off a the project with a strong focus on assessment briefs as we believe that is the first step of students understanding what is expected of them before the feedback stage.

4 Feb 21

In the partnership project group, before Christmas we were loooking at assessment brief and then invited a member of the library team to discuss how we could make connections with professional support services easier.  In January, someone from Blackboard joined us to discuss the possibility of consistency in Blackboard and we have now moved on to looking at feedback. In the weeks ahead we would be having a meeting with a member of the directorates team to discuss how we can implement our proposed chnages to the assessment briefs here at UWE.

10 Mar 21

At the Student Rep Committee on Wednesday 10 February which had had over 40 students in attendance. Jane held feedback session with students focusing on assessment feedback. Highlight from the session included; lack of consistency, more direct feedback (voice or video recording, critiquing but not highlighting how students can perform better in their next assessment. In addition, we are also working with the four faculties to ensure that the sample assessment feedback we worked are personalised to each faculties and are also UWE language friendly. We would also be identifying modules that the assessment brief can be piloted on, specifically module with low attainment.

10 May 21

In April, I facilitated a focus group with students to get their input on the draft assessment brief. As a team we are drafting a session for starting block that would focus on educating students on avoiding assessment offences and the different stages of assessment and feedback (who marks students’ assessment, where students can go to seek for assessment support and so much more). In the weeks ahead as a team we would be documenting our achievements and recommendations of the project to present at academic board.

1 July 20

Term of Office started

1 Sept 20

The university has committed to purchsing the nap pod after the pandemic. I will follow up with the University in January 2021.

1 July 20

Term of Office started

1 Sept 20

Due to the pandemic and the universities blended learning apporoach, this point is almost inevitable. To take this a step further by ensuring that smaller teaching groups like workshops and tutorials are also recorded, i discussed this point at the teaching and assessment recovery group were a member of staff was actioned to look into ensuring that this is achieved.

1 July 20

Term of Office started

1 Sept 20

I have sent out emails to the various faculty academic directors as they would be in the best position to speak to the various program leaders within their faculty. I also ensured that this agenda was discussed at the teaching and assessment recovery group.

4 Feb 21

Students concerns regading course work cluster have been raised with the universities directorate team and they are working with the faculties to ensure that module assessments are constantly reviewed to ensure that students are only issuing tasks that are critical to their programmes.

10 Mar 21

I have lobbied the four faculties to ensure that course work cluster should be avoided in the next academic year. I have raised this issue with various members of the UWE directorate team and at academic board.

1 July 20

Term of Office started

1 Sept 20

In on going conversations with the employability team to ensure that recruiters who intend to attend the virtual careers fair this year would be able to assist our international students with companies willing to sponsor and assit them from application stage right through to interview stage.

4 Feb 21

I am working with an external organisation called 'Grad Careers Coach' to organise a live Q&A session to speak to international students on all they need to know about securing a sponsorship job in the UK.

10 Mar 21

In February, myself and Augusta (SU President) in partnership with Grade Careers Coach organised a webinar titled ‘7 Steps to Securing a UK Graduate Job with Visa Sponsorship’ for international students. With over 55 students in attendance, it was an opportunity for international students to find out how they can secure a Tier 2 graduate job in the UK. Based on the success of this event, we would be having a follow up Q&A session this March.