Hey! As you’ve probably gathered – this is my AGM report. It has been a hectic few months since our last UGM, with a few unexpected surprises thrown into it. I have been working on things proposed at UGM, as well as my manifesto points, whilst handling our response to strike action. You can find out more below!
Outstanding UGM motions and actions
Study Skills
I will be meeting with staff from the Keele Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence (KIITE) just before the AGM to discuss our study skills offer. Fingers crossed that I will have something to report at the meeting itself!
Exceptional Circumstances
I was actioned to make ECs a centralised process to avoid inconsistency between schools – well truth be told; this was one of the first projects I was involved in back in July! The EC system is now run entirely through student services – and with the automatic 5-day extension – you should see a lot more consistency.
The EC system however is not perfect, and we are currently working on putting forward a solution that works for all students.
Keep Wednesday Afternoons Free
We renewed our policy! I’ve met with the Academic Registrar who has confirmed that Wednesday afternoons will continue to be free into Semester 2 and beyond.
Timetabling
I’ve been involved in a number of talks regarding timetabling. They’ll be pushing communications around Semester 2 timetables which include a disclaimer that sessions may change. Moving forward, we’re undertaking a large piece of work which focuses on the timeline for timetabling, in hopes of getting students their timetables significantly earlier.
Manifesto updates
Strikes
A lot of my time has been taken up with our response to strike action. We proactively met with both Keele UCU (University and College Union) and senior management within the university to ensure we could best protect your student experience. We’ve confirmed that you will not be assessed for content missed during the strike period. You can find out more information here!
Personal Tutoring
I’ve been involved in the Academic Mentoring group which is seeking to improve the role of a personal tutor, ensuring every student gets a consistent and beneficial experience from which they can thrive. We’re also improving the methods to switch personal tutors to ensure that if you need to switch, you can do so easily!
Assessments
Me and Dan are a part of the group leading changes to assessment at Keele. We’ll be fighting to ensure students are not over-assessed, that there is an appropriate range of assessments used, and that students have a say in the way their courses are assessed!
I’ll also continue to work on irradiating assessment bunching, ensuring there is an appropriate amount of time between assessments so you can achieve the highest grades possible.
Student Voice
I’m co-leading, alongside the Pro Vice Chancellor (Education), a series of work on Student Partnership. This aims to involves students in all aspects of the university as well as getting more diverse voices raised up to the highest levels. There will be some exciting opportunities to get further involved in this, so please let me know if you’re interested!
Team strategic aims
(Only updating where I have an update!)
Fighting the Marketisation of Education
We’ve been standing in solidarity with Keele UCU (see below!) and have begun to plan a campaign around the marketisation of education. We’re hoping to host Q&As with senior management to ensure you can have your say, and we’ll continue to be involved nationally.
Amplifying Marginalised Voices
As aforementioned I’m currently working with the PVC (Education) on a strategy to include more diverse voices in decision-making at Keele. I’ve highlighted that not all students can attend on campus, that some have caring responsibilities, and that others cannot give their time up for free.
Racial Equity
I’m still working to ensure that Racial Trauma is an approved EC! I’ve met with the Director of Student Services and will be pushing for this through the Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team – a committee which I sit on!