Have you seen my conspiracy board ?!
Hello lovely people! If you have ever swung by 1E 3.10, you have most definitely 1) Seen ALL the stim toys I am currently hoarding for academic councils and the like, and 2) been lovingly introduced to my conspiracy board. Okay, it is a little bit of a misnomer, as it isn’t really about CONSPIRACIES, but rather a big ol’ visual representation of my manifesto points and how they all link together punctuated with notes, paraphernalia, and the spoils of Fresher’s Week.
With semester one drawing to a close and exam season heading up, I want to take you on a tour of what has been done, what is being done, and what is ahead on the board – lets take a look !
What has been DONE?
Study Spaces
As I write this, the sensory space is only a few electrical tests away from coming to fruition – and while the attached rooms for DSA appointments have been up and running for a small while, to see it all done in its completion is amazing. As well as this, the Virgil Building now has even more bookable space for our students in the city, as well as bookable space being available across campus for those of you here on the hill! Study spaces have also made it on the Top 10, meaning we are looking forward to seeing study spaces expand throughout the second semester!
Unit Evaluations
Sadly, unit evaluation timing has been set by a quality assurance document we cannot immediately change – this, however, doesn’t stop you from writing in said evaluations that you hate the timing, and it hasn’t stopped us, alongside help from some lovely University staff like Kate Awdry and our amazing reps from making sure that these are communicated to you in a way that makes sense, that lecturers pop a QR code at the start of lectures and give you time to do the evaluations, and a whole re-work of the rewards, including department wide incentives.
What is in PROGRESS?
Recorded Lectures
There are so many reasons you may miss a lecture, and we want to cover them all. On our Top 10 and assigned to our PVC Education, we have been collating information on who and who doesn’t record, how long these recordings are up, and if they re-appear during examinations. We are going to be breaking down issues surrounding lecture recordings into short goals to make sure we have specific goals to work towards, and would sincerely appreciate any input !
Reading Weeks
We have been gathering information on what you want around reading weeks to make sure we can make the best case for the University. We are going to be building on the former work of Andrei (an amazing Faculty rep for management last year!), as well as some inciting work from former Education Officer Jacob (21/22).
We need to know if you get a reading week, what happens in it, and how useful you find it, so help us out if you can !
Past Assessment Examples
We have been establishing what past assessments are available to students across essays, exam papers, and more – as well as using our Faculty Forums to work out what would suit you best.
Extensions and IMCs
All departments have reported having either the SAMIS plug-in ‘extension app’ or an alternative, such as Microsoft Flow, meaning that extensions are accessible ! Alongside this, student facing graphics for individual mitigating circumstances and appeals are in the pipeline, with a specific focus on making sure the language used is suitable for all students, such as those who have English as a second language.
Physical Accessibility
We are actively working on making campus more accessible in ways informed by you – making sure snow is reported well in time on SafeZone, looking towards helping you get into Weekend Warmup, and setting up specific goals alongside our both our disabled student group DAG, and our staff and PG group aFLAME.
Reduce hidden costs
Chasing the library about textbooks you never knew you had to buy, having bursaries and other financial aid on the Top 10, and ensuring that we keep our £1.50 meals is a whole team issue.
What's up ahead?
Textbook Marketplace
Discussions with our volunteer team are due to start up in January, as we look at difference systems such as simply drop off and leave, donations to RAG, or a token system.
Release of average marks and their distributions
Another bit of research that is going to take a bit of time (and bugging staff while you are away or in exams!), the release of average marks is still on the radar, but is currently being deprioritised for feedback that helps you improve.
Anonymity in feedback
This has not yet been reported by our reps, so we need to hear from you where there are issues before we can get started – please comment below or email sueducation@bath.ac.uk if you think we should re-prioritise this issue!
Online Engagement
Currently being investigated by our Postgraduate Officer Jura, online engagement has not fallen off the radar, but has rather been taken over instead ??
I hope this proves helpful, and if you have any questions at all please let me know !
TTYL and LOL (lots of love)
Amber xx