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UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD STUDENTS’ UNION

STUDENT EXPERIENCE REPORT FOR THE

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND

SOCIAL SCIENCES

SEMESTER TWO 2011/12

www.salfordstudents.com

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Contents

What is this report and why have we written it? .................................................................................. 3

The Student Representation System .................................................................................................. 4

Information sessions for staff .......................................................................................................... 4

Students‟ Union Sabbatical Officers ................................................................................................ 4

Student Rep Training and the new Rep Academy .......................................................................... 4

Rep Conference .............................................................................................................................. 5

The Quality Assurance Agency and Institutional Review ................................................................... 5

Rep academy levels by School ....................................................................................................... 6

What do your students say? ............................................................................................................... 7

College concerns ................................................................................................................................ 8

Organisation and management ....................................................................................................... 8

Communication and feedback from staff ......................................................................................... 8

Additional charges and costs .......................................................................................................... 8

MediaCity ........................................................................................................................................ 8

I.T. issues ........................................................................................................................................ 8

Student involvement in Union democracy .......................................................................................... 9

Students‟ Union Teaching Awards ..................................................................................................... 9

I.T. Issues ......................................................................................................................................... 10

Social Networking ............................................................................................................................. 10

Students‟ Union Annual Awards ....................................................................................................... 11

Transformation and Academic Realignment..................................................................................... 12

Academic good practice : Research ................................................................................................. 12

Research into Welcome week and induction .................................................................................... 13

Students‟ Union Advice Centre ......................................................................................................... 14

Summary of Key Findings ............................................................................................................. 14

Client Group Characteristics ......................................................................................................... 14

College of Arts and Social Sciences ............................................................................................. 15

Advice sought by students ............................................................................................................ 16

Postgraduate Research students ..................................................................................................... 17

Vice President‟s roundup.................................................................................................................. 18

Contact us… ..................................................................................................................................... 19

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What is this report and why have we written it?

Welcome to the second Student Experience Report!

This report is designed to give an overview of the experiences of students within the College of Arts and

Social Sciences during semester two 2011/12. Student Experience Reports have been written for each of the

University‟s Colleges, and make use of the following sources of data:

Student Rep statistics Syndicated Induction Research

Student Rep reflective reports (semester two) Students‟ Union survey results

Advice Centre statistics Sabbatical Officer reflections

Advice Centre trends reports (semester two)

As part of our work on Student Engagement, we wanted to ensure that feedback gathered by Reps was

relayed to University staff at programme and school level as regularly as possible. The Students‟ Union‟s

campaign publication „The Salford Bill of Students‟ Rights‟ outlines the key priority areas identified by

students as vital for improving their academic experience. It is with these priority areas in mind that the

Student Experience Reports have been written.

Our mission as a Students‟ Union is „Enhancing Students’ Lives’, and we can only do this by working together

with academic staff to ensure that students‟ views and opinions are taken into account at all stages of

decision making. Our Student Reps give us fantastic positive and negative feedback about their student

experience, and it is essential that this rich information is shared and used to both rectify problems and

champion excellence within Schools.

We were delighted with the warm reception the first edition of this report received, and hope they become an

established method of sharing student opinion between the Students‟ Union and University. It has been a

difficult semester for a variety of reasons, and we believe that effective engagement and communication with

students has never been more important. As always, we welcome feedback on these reports.

Caroline Dangerfield Christina Kennedy

President Vice President Arts & Social Sciences

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The Student Representation System

The Student Representation system is a scheme run in partnership with the University but administered by the Students‟ Union. There are currently over 700 Student Representatives at course level. A decision to re-introduce Reps at School level has now been taken, and students for these roles have started to be recruited. School level Reps were originally removed from our structures due to changes in University governance. The need for a Rep at a higher level than programme is of clear benefit, and we

have reintroduced them for the academic year 12/13. Although there are no longer any formal meetings or committees for School Reps to attend, we urge all schools to use them and invite them to relevant meetings at school level. Further information and names of the Reps will be available over the summer.

Information sessions for staff

In order to fully engage with staff who deal with Student Reps on a regular basis, and to update any new programme leaders on the Rep system, we contacted Learning and Teaching managers in each College to ask about delivering a short session to staff. A session for all programme leaders was arranged by staff in CASS for 7 March in Maxwell building, and a member of Union staff prepared a short information session. The session was designed to outline the role Representation plays in quality assurance, particularly important given the impending QAA Institutional Review, and ways that staff and Reps can work together effectively. We were disappointed that in the University‟s largest College, with such a large number of programmes, only one member of staff attended the session1. We urge the College and its schools to seriously consider the value placed on the Student Representation system – we need your help to ensure its continued development and effectiveness.

Students’ Union Sabbatical Officers

Sabbatical Officers are the head of our Student Representation system, in that they use information and feedback from the Student Reps to campaign or lobby for changes on a wider scale. The President and Vice Presidents have regular meetings with the Vice Chancellor and Pro Vice Chancellors and sit on committees at all levels of the University‟s governance structures. The three Vice Presidents are each assigned a College, and regularly communicate with Reps to help with issues or direct and signpost when required. Reps meet their Vice President at the introductory training session. The current Vice President for the College of Arts and Social Sciences is Christina Kennedy. Information about our annual elections can be found on page 7.

Student Rep Training and the new Rep Academy

As outlined in the last report, a programme of extended skills training was introduced this year – the Rep Academy. We have been delighted by the interest from Reps, and were proud to award 62 with Level 3 certificates at our Teaching Awards in May. A further 243 received training via the Academy and plans for next year‟s sessions are in full swing. Feedback from Reps has been used to make some changes, particularly in the way that the levels are reached, and we hope that an amended system will allow for more flexibility in terms of time and commitment. As Reps are trained to take part in University committees among other tasks, it would be fantastic to receive some feedback from programme leaders and other staff. We were disappointed that in a recent survey, only 12 members of staff from the College responded, with none at all responding from Business and Law. The

1 We have now been invited to speak at the ADA forum.

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fact that role descriptors have now changed in some schools, resulting in no „programme leader‟ titles being used was offered as a reason for the non-completion of the survey. This is concerning for us, as we need academic staff assistance in evaluating the Rep system, regardless of specific job titles. We are aiming to conduct another study at the end of semester one next year, and hope for a higher response rate. As the end of the semester looms, we need staff to be thinking about and planning their Rep recruitment early. As outlined in the last report, we need help with the following: 1. Reps need to be recruited early in the term and their names passed to us for training before they are

expected to attend meetings. The deadline for entering Rep details to the system is the same each year – the first Friday in October (different deadlines exist for January and March intakes). A considerable amount of time is spent chasing schools who have not updated their Rep records, showing a disregard for the importance of the system.

2. Reps should be encouraged to attend training. Reps who attend training will be more prepared to deal with issues raised by their course mates, will have a better understanding of the University‟s processes, and will ultimately be able to participate more fully in SSCMs.

3. Staff Student Committee Meetings should be arranged after training has taken place, and should not clash with student timetables. Reps should not have to choose between a lecture and a SSCM.

4. Minutes from SSCMs should be shared with all Reps in good time following the meeting, and a copy emailed to the Vice President. As well as tracking trends, we need to keep a record of the meetings and other work the Reps are undertaking.

Rep Conference

Two Rep Conferences are held each year; one in November and one the following March. These dates are circulated to all Student Reps, programme leaders and support staff at the start of the academic year.

In March 2012, over 100 Reps attended the conference and took part in a question and answer session with Professor Huw Morris. Information was also gathered from Reps about the changes to the academic handbook, and there were updates about work being carried out by the Students‟ Union and the National Union of Students. The event was a great success and we are already planning next semester‟s programme.

The Quality Assurance Agency and Institutional Review

As most staff are likely aware, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) will be conducting an Institutional

Review of the University of Salford in the 2012/13 academic year. The review process has a variety of

stages and there are numerous documents and pieces of research that will be submitted by the University.

The QAA considers student input of key importance to its reviews, and QAA staff will be meeting with

Sabbatical officers and other Student Reps during the review process. The Students‟ Union will also be

submitting a „student written submission‟, documenting student opinions on specific issues. In light of this,

the points made above with reference to academic staff „buy-in‟ of the Rep system are even more vital. A

partnership approach to student involvement in quality mechanisms is essential, and schools where there are

gaps in training or recruitment should engage with us about ways to improve this.

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Rep academy levels by School

Schools with less than 50% of their Reps trained need to consider the reasons why, and assist us to improve

the figures. Training dates were provided by the schools this year, so there should not have been timetable

issues. While we recognise that it is unlikely 100% of students will wish to undertake training for their role,

we expect a figure closer to 60% overall.

Number of Reps by School

Total Reps 2011/12

New Reps 2011/12

% New Reps

trained in 2011/2012

Level 1 (to date)

Level 2 (to date)

Level 3 (to date)

Art and Design 67 47 40% 18 4 5

Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences

74 69 59% 26 6 12

Media, Music and Performance

104 72 35% 21 8 7

Salford Business School

94 81 52% 19 15 15

Salford Law School 12 9 67% 4 2 2

Health Sciences 70 38 20% 12 1 1

Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work

123 68 42% 35 6 11

Computing, Science and Engineering

78 58 42% 21 7 5

Environment and Life Sciences

40 38 65% 16 6 4

Built Environment 42 27 38% 14 2 0

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What do your students say?

Here is a sample of the comments Reps from the College of Arts and Social Sciences made in their end of

semester reports:

“Although it can be time consuming attending meetings,

committees, forums and catching up with lecturers and

the students you represent; the role is very rewarding. I

enjoy the fact that my work has had a positive impact for

my year group and also for future students. As a rep, we

are invaluable resource for the Students‟ Union and

University.”

Performance Rep

“I would recommend being a

student rep to others as it is a

great way to get involved with the

Students‟ Union and the

University.”

European Languages Rep

“It has been a great experience, I got the chance to help students be heard, get their

issues and problems across to student and staff committee meetings. I had the

opportunity to attend a few advance training sessions such as How to be an effective

campaigner and Quality matters which were a great experience and I learned a lot

from them.”

Tourism Management Rep

“It is good experience, improves your

confidence and helps you to work closer with

the fellow students and staff.”

Law Rep

“I have enjoyed the experience and felt

more involved with the University since

being a student rep.”

Advertising Design Rep

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College concerns Student Reps are trained and supported to negotiate changes on behalf of their peers, as well as relay positive

and negative feedback. There are many issues raised by Reps and we acknowledge that the majority of them

are localised, and are resolved promptly. There are other occasions however, when concerns are ongoing

and there is no obvious move towards resolution.

An analysis of the comments and reports submitted by Reps in this College highlighted the following key

concerns. Please note that these issues are listed in order to assist staff in addressing student concerns.

Organisation and management

Reps across a number of programmes reported that poor organisation of their timetable, combined with poor

communication of changes had led to problems for students. Despite student ID cards not operating the entry

mechanism for Adelphi house, lectures continue to be scheduled for the building.

Linked to this is the ongoing issue of Blackboard use, and the inconsistency in which staff use it as a teaching

tool. One Rep from MMP reported that no lecture notes had been uploaded to Blackboard all semester, and

that students felt this left them poorly prepared for revision.

Communication and feedback from staff

A number of Reps from the College reported that staff are taking longer than is appropriate to respond to

emails, and that this is causing frustration among students. A number also commented that feedback is not

being returned within three weeks, and that marked exam scripts are unavailable to students.

Additional charges and costs

Complaints about levies and additional costs associated with programmes remain a common theme for Reps.

This is unsurprising given the variety of technical / material charges that are in place within the College, and is

something the Students‟ Union is keen to see reduced or removed where possible. Where students pay extra

fees, their feelings of frustration with issues like poor organisation or IT facilities appear to be heightened.

MediaCity

Students are broadly complimentary about the facilities available at the MediaCity campus, but comments from

Reps on programmes that are still based at Adelphi cause some concern. There appears to be a feeling that

students who do not have scheduled classes at MediaCity are treated as second-class citizens in terms of

access to equipment and facilities. One Rep commented that despite their deadline being 4 May, the class

was informed they could not book camera equipment until after 7 May, because students at MediaCity have

primary access to the facility.

It is clear that students studying at Adelphi feel that they do not have the same level of facility as their

MediaCity counterparts, and this combined with the further delay of the new Arts building and the closure of

the Adelphi canteen has led to feelings of isolation. While much of this has been unavoidable, the College

needs to ensure these students feel part of the University community, and work hard to provide access to

required equipment for all students.

I.T. issues

This area will be covered later in the report, but it is important to note that comments from Reps in this College

were particularly vocal about the I.T. problems that occurred this year, and linked this to their disappointment

with some of the equipment, particularly in terms of the need for software updates.

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Student involvement in Union democracy Getting involved in the Students‟ Union‟s political processes is a fantastic way for students to direct lobbying

and other campaigning activity, and we need our political representatives to reflect the diverse nature of our

student population. The College of Arts and Social Sciences is by far the biggest College at the University,

and as such we would expect to see a significant majority of those students within our elected political bodies.

This is currently not the case, and we will be looking at new ways of appealing to students in this College

throughout the next year.

The Students‟ Union annual elections took place in February and March, with over 2700 students casting their

votes online. A collaboration with the unions at the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan

University was trialled this year, and elections at

all three unions ran simultaneously, sharing

publicity and promotional material. The

collaboration was a success and focused on the

fact that approximately one hundred thousand

students in the Manchester area were eligible to

vote in their elections.

As well as students for our Trustee Board and

Student Council, four new Sabbatical Officers

were elected.

Students’ Union Teaching Awards The winners of the first ever Students' Union Teaching

Awards were announced at a ceremony held in the

International Life Centre on 9 May. Recommended by the

Higher Education Academy (HEA), the awards were created

to recognise and celebrate excellence in teaching,

supervision and support at the University, with all

nominations coming from students.

The day was also an opportunity to recognise the Student

Reps who had achieved level three in their training, the

highest level.

The Students' Union would again like to congratulate all

those nominated and shortlisted and say a big well done to our winners who are listed below:

Best Teacher: Paul Tracey, School of the Built Environment

Best Personal Tutor: Neil Withnell, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work

Best Supervisor: Song Wu, School of the Built Environment

Best Student Rep: Elaine Norton, Third Year Diagnostic Radiography, School of Health Sciences

Paul Tracey accepting the Best Teacher award

From left to right: Mishal Saeed (VP CHSC), Christina Kennedy (President), Tom Doyle (VP CST) and Eli

Prodromova (VP CASS)

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I.T. Issues

If there was one issue which generated the most student feedback and comment this semester, it was I.T.

problems. Student comments and concerns about computer and other I.T. facilities are commonly raised with

the Students‟ Union, either directly or through the Rep system. These issues are often localised and can be

resolved at school level.

Between December and March however, the number of comments from students and Student Reps about I.T.

issues increased considerably. The complaints appeared to be common regardless of school or programme,

and focused on specific issues.

Following a request from the Pro Vice Chancellor Academic to provide some evidence of the impact of current

I.T. problems, a short report was produced and sent to the University‟s senior management. The report was

based on a survey and other verbatim comments from students and highlighted issues in the following areas:

Log on times

Lecture disruption (due to staff being unable to get equipment to work)

Email

Printing

The report was accepted by the University, and many of the issues have now been resolved or alleviated,

although no formal apology has been issued. The Students‟ Union is still concerned about the poor

communication to both staff and students about the I.T. issues, and urges all parties to ensure this doesn‟t

happen again.

Social Networking

As well as assisting individual students with problems and issues, the Advice Centre staff at the Students‟

Union regularly meet with staff and Sabbatical Officers to discuss trends or areas of concern that have been

highlighted by their work. Identifying issues in need of addressing is a vital part of our work, and it is through

this mechanism that the topic of „social networking‟ was raised.

The Advice Centre noticed an increase in the number of students facing disciplinary proceedings due to

comments made on social networks including facebook, twitter and youtube. These cases highlighted the lack

of explicit regulations about the use of such digital tools, and the potential „gap‟ in induction information

provided to students.

Students of professional courses are regularly reminded about the consequences of inappropriate use of

social networks, and yet students on other courses receive no such instruction. While cases can (and should)

be dealt with via the University‟s code of conduct for students, or the acceptable use of I.T. policy, it is

apparent that instruction in this area is limited.

As a result, the Advice Centre are in the process of producing a student-friendly document outlining the dos

and don‟ts of social networking. The Sabbatical Officers are also working with GSU on ways to make the

consequences of inappropriate comments more explicit in the regulations. Staff in schools should be

reminding students that their profiles online, however „private‟ they believe them to be, may leave them open

to disciplinary consequences.

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Students’ Union Annual Awards

The Annual Awards are an opportunity for students

involved in Activity Groups (SAGs), Sports Groups

(SSGs) and Student Media to celebrate the years‟

achievements and present awards in a range of

categories.

Involvement in extra-curricular activities serves not

only to make student life more enjoyable but has been

linked to retention and attainment2. The Students‟

Union‟s activities development unit assists students in

over 80 groups, ensuring they make the most of their

time at Salford and develop identifiable skills along the

way.

Students involved in activity or sports groups can expect to gain experience of running a group, organising

events, handling a budget, fundraising, managing people, engaging members, campaigning, influencing and

lobbying. Students can also improve their skills in leadership, communications, finance, management, dealing

with a diverse range of stakeholders, cultural awareness, project management and delivery.

The winners of the 2012 annual awards were as follows:

New Student of the Year: Amy Hughes

(School of Media, Music and Performance)

Student Journalist of the Year: Amanda Mace

(School of Media, Music and Performance)

Student Activity Group Personality of the Year: Helen Lloyd (Equestrian Team)

(School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences)

Sports Personality of the Year: Adam Hughes (Hockey)

(School of Computing, Science and Engineering)

Students' Union Personality of the Year: Joe Kirwin

(School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences)

Student Activity Group of the Year: Engineering

Sports Group of the Year: Men’s football (pictured)

2 CBI / NUS (2011)

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Transformation and Academic Realignment

The University‟s plans to restructure and make cuts in both academic

and professional staff have caused significant upset and unrest

among students this semester. The poor communication of plans,

along with low staff morale meant students found themselves

completely in the dark over many of the proposals. Following our

intervention, meetings between senior management and students in

some of the affected schools have now taken place, and we

anticipate a much more honest and transparent process for the

following difficult months. A copy of a survey undertaken by the

Union can be downloaded via the website

(www.salfordstudents.com), and following discussions at Student

Council, the following statement has been made:

The University of Salford Students’ Union fundamentally believes that this latest round of redundancies at the

University of Salford will significantly affect students. It is naïve to assume otherwise. Indeed, even before

being officially imposed, the redundancy proposals have already begun to negatively impact upon the student

experience. The speed and severity of the proposed cuts has only served to breed staff disillusionment,

something which can only impact upon the service these staff provide to students. The lack of communication

and consultation with students on the part of the University with regard to the cuts has lead to a culture of

misinformation. Students do not know what is happening to their courses, to their lecturers, or even, in the

case of Italian, to their programme of study. The information provided by the University has been

uncoordinated, inaccessible, and generally insufficient to assuage the ever-changing and often inaccurate

gossip circulating around the University and on social media.

The Union acknowledges the University’s dire financial situation, but believes that while equally swift and

equally deep government changes to the landscape of higher education have certainly had a significant

impact, the blame cannot be pinned upon the government alone. Further, these issues do not diminish the

University’s responsibility to full consultation and communication with students in large scale decisions and

changes that have a substantial effect on the student experience.

The Union fully supports the UCU in their campaign to save staff at the University. For the Union however, the

fight goes beyond saving the jobs of individual staff members. We want to ensure that students are at the very

heart of strategic decision making in the University. Students should have a say in the direction their University

is taking – and since they will have to pay triple for a University education from September, this has never

been more important.

Academic good practice : Research

Since November 2011, as part of its work on social policy issues, the Union‟s Advice Centre has been

coordinating a small research project examining students‟ understanding of academic good practice and how

well they are being trained to avoid misconduct. The research project involved nearly 300 students, as well as

statistics and data drawn from other sources. The completed report will be published in mid June, and schools

are urged to consider its findings and recommendations.

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Research into Welcome week and induction

For the past two years, the Students‟ Union has taken part in syndicated research carried out by a market research company on behalf of a number of students‟ unions. As well as Salford, this year‟s syndicate included Manchester Metropolitan Union, Staffordshire University Students Union and University Campus Suffolk Students‟ Union. In November, first year students from each university were surveyed and asked about their experiences of induction, and the results compared against those in the syndicate. Here is a summary of the findings: At registration:

Four out of five (79%) Salford students (n=614) viewed the enrolment and registration process as „good‟ or „very good‟ overall. However, Salford‟s average score was the lowest of the four universities within the syndicate.

Correlation analysis revealed that the most influential factors on students‟ overall perceptions of the enrolment and registration process were having clear instructions on how to go through the process and getting the student ID card quickly and easily. Areas that were not „top of mind‟ but still found to be subconsciously impacting on overall perceptions of enrolment and registration were speed, efficiency and ease of going through the process.

Induction

Almost a third (30%) of students felt much more prepared for University life after the induction / orientation period, a significantly higher proportion than in 2010 (20%).

Salford students placed the highest importance on having access to a full timetable of where and when classes are held and compared to other universities within the syndicate, students at Salford placed greater importance on having practical information about the city and having detailed information about the campus.

Experiences of first lecture / class

Overall 82% of Salford students provided a „good‟ or „very good‟ rating for the first lecture / class. The average score was in line with the syndicate average. Students within the College of Health and Social Care provided a higher than average rating overall.

Correlation analysis revealed that the key motivators for providing a positive overall rating for the first lecture / class were ensuring that it was interesting and informative, the teaching experience was of a high quality and that students know what is expected of them by lecturers and tutors.

Overall opinions of University life

The vast majority (84%) of students at the University of Salford would recommend the University to their

friends or family members who were considering applying to the University.

Correlation analysis demonstrated the relationship between each of the issues rated throughout the survey and likelihood to recommend. This analysis highlighted that the key influencing factors on likelihood to recommend (and therefore the primary areas for focus) are:

Demonstrating that the University of Salford offers the best Higher Education experience (Feeling that you were receiving a high quality teaching experience; Making you feel confident about your academic future; First lecture motivating and inspiring you; Being made to feel confident that you had made the right choice or University and course).

Clarity of what course entails and expectations (Knowing what your course will actually entail for the whole period of study; The lecture being interesting and informative; Getting information on where and when you would be doing your placements or practices; Being informed of rules and regulations; Providing access to support and guidance; Being made aware of how the course representative system works).

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Students’ Union Advice Centre The Students‟ Union Advice Centre offers independent advice to students

on academic-related matters. This report seeks to make a comparison

with the previous academic period, 01/01/11 – 30/04/11 in order to identify

trends, highlight specific issues and provide general information for use by

the Students‟ Union and University.

Summary of Key Findings

Advice relating to academic appeals, PMC forms and academic work

continue to occupy a large part of the advisers time. Whereas there were increases in the recorded cases of

PMCs, academic appeals and complaints, there were decreases in the areas of academic work, tuition fees.

Unfair means/unfair means appeals recorded no change in the percentage of cases.

The above picture does not however hold true for individual Schools. Cases involving complaints have

increased in the Schools of Media, Music and Performance (up by 23.5%), Business (8%), Environment and

Life Sciences (20%) and Health Sciences (15%). There was a reduction of 26% in the number of students

approaching the service for complaints advice from Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences. Unfair

means cases have increased for the School of Business (25%) whilst the Schools of Environment and Life

Sciences and Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work have recorded decreases of 25% and 8.5% respectively in

students seeking advice about this issue.

Client Group Characteristics

In this quarter, seventy four percent (74%) of students seen were undergraduates and 26% were

postgraduates. As in the previous quarter (1st January - 30th April 2011) sixty one percent (61%) were mature

students (21+ on entry) with approximately 22% being home/EU undergraduate students. The number of

“standard” (<21 yrs) students remained the same. The number of international postgraduate mature students

seeking our support fell from 17% to 7%. Basic demographics are represented below:

Category

2011 (%) 2012 (%) % Change

Undergraduate 70% 74% +4%

Postgraduate 29.6% 25.8% -3.8%

Mature (21+ on entry) 61.3% 61.2% No change

Standard age on entry 38.7% 38.8% No change

International fees 24% 17.7% -6.3%

Home & EU fees 75.6% 82.3% +6.7%

International Postgraduate Mature 17.4% 6.8% -10.6%

International Undergraduate Mature 3% 1.4% -1.6%

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College of Arts and Social Sciences

Salford Business School: Although

the number of students declined, as a

percentage of the overall number of

students seen in this quarter, there

was a 2% increase. The number of

cases brought by postgraduate

students fell by 13% as did the number

from international postgraduate

students (down by 8%). Whereas in

2011, advice was centred around

tuition fees (25%) and to a lesser

extent the completion of PMC forms; in 2012 more advice/support was centred around unfair means (up by

24%) completing PMC forms (8% increase), complaints (up by 8%) and academic work (up 4%).

School of Media, Music and

Performance: Advice was mainly

sought around the complaints

process and completing PMCs.

These issues were slightly different to

that in the previous academic quarter

of 2011, but the number of cases

related to complaints represent a

25% increase for this School.

School of Humanities, Languages

and Social Sciences: Although the

number of students seeking advice

fell, as a percentage of the total

number of students seen for this

quarter, there was no change to the

previous quarter (10%).

Undergraduate students outnumber

graduates in a ratio of 4:1. There was

a 26% decrease in the number of

cases related to complaints.

School of Law: The number of students from this School remains quite small and always represents less

than 2% of the students seeking advice. In both years (2011 & 2012) advice was sought around unfair

means.

School of Art & Design: Both the number of students and as a percentage of the overall number of students

seen this quarter indicates a fall of 4 and 1.4% respectively. The ratio of undergraduates to graduates remain

3:1. Advice focused on completing PMC forms and academic work in 2011 whilst the focus in 2012 was

mainly completing PMC forms.

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Advice sought by students

In both quarters, students sought advice on a variety of issues but primarily on academic appeals, completing

PMC forms, academic work, complaints and tuition fees. Although the percentage of cases relating to unfair

means/unfair means appeals remained the same over both periods, it was evident that the largest

percentage of cases in 2012 came from the School of Business.

Academic appeals: In this quarter the percentage of cases rose by 6%. The School of Nursing, Midwifery

and Social Work account for 58% of the recorded cases. This is to be expected as the completion year for the

March intake does occur during this period. In contrast there was a 14% fall in the number of cases of this

type from the School of Built Environment.

PMCs: The percentage of cases of this type rose by 9% for this quarter. The Schools of Nursing, Midwifery

and Social Work, Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Computing, Science and

Engineering accounted for 53% of these cases. In contrast in 2011, the School of Computing, Science and

Engineering and the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work accounted for 39% of the recorded cases.

Academic work: The proportion of cases fell by 8%. Whereas the Schools of Computing, Science and

Engineering and Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work accounted for 30.5% of this type of enquiry in 2011, this

trend was not repeated in 2012.

Tuition fees: There was a 3% fall in this type of enquiry for 2012. The Schools of Built Environment and

Business were responsible for 61% of these cases in 2011. In 2012, no School stood out on this issue.

Complaints: The percentage of cases rose by 4% in this quarter. The School of Humanities, Languages and

Social Sciences accounted for a third (33%) of these cases in 2011.

Unfair means/unfair means appeals: As a percentage of cases, the figure remains the same for both

quarters. However, the School of Business recorded the highest number of these cases (64%) in 2012. This

is particularly worrying as the number of international students as a percentage of recorded cases for this

School is relatively high (62.5%).

17

Postgraduate Research students

As a Students‟ Union, we are always striving to represent our full membership, and have strategies in place

for engaging with students considered „non traditional‟ or „hard to reach‟. One key group of students whose

needs differ greatly from that of the „traditional‟ undergraduate is the cohort of Postgraduate Research

students at the University.

Through the Postgraduate College Rep structure, we have been able to determine the issues and concerns

affecting this group of students, and will be further investigating ways of assisting the University to meet the

needs of this group. The following concerns have been drawn from College Rep comments as well as the

experiences of the Sabbatical officers when speaking with PGR students.

GTA status – staff or student?

PGRs who also work as Graduate Teaching Assistants tread a blurred line between staff and student,

enjoying the experience of teaching, while concerned about workload and impact on their own study.

Clarity of expectations, along with specific guidelines to assist GTAs with time management would be

welcome.

Study environment

There appears to be large inconsistencies in the resources and space available for PGR students.

Reports suggest these can vary from having access to a desk, lockable filing cabinet, telephone etc to

having nothing at all and being directed to a computer suite (and in one case, a computer in the back of a

dance studio!). An audit of current provision and determining what PGR students need could result in a

guaranteed minimum level of resource which would help address this issue.

The University community

It is concerning that many PGR students do not feel part of the University community and feel that much

of the extra or co-curricular activity on offer is aimed at undergraduates only. As a Students‟ Union, we

are working on strategies to combat this perception, and to improve our offering to PGRs, but it is

essential that schools also play their role. PGRs who do not teach should still be invited to school or

College events for students, and care should be taken to ensure they are treated as students first and

foremost.

Personal tutors and Supervisors

It is worrying that some PGR students do not have a designated Personal tutor, something that is

guaranteed to them on admission. Personal tutors should be entirely separate from the supervisory team

to avoid conflicts of interest, and a consistent approach to this would be hugely beneficial.

It is also important to note some positive developments this year as a result of student-led activity. These

include

The Postgraduate Society – a student-run society for PG students to socialise and network

Postgraduate evenings – two „cheese, wine and juice‟ evenings have been held in University House

this year, both extremely well attended.

Postgraduate Reps – the College Reps have attended University Committees to ensure the PGR

student voice is being heard.

Student Council – a designated postgraduate place on the Union‟s Student Council ensures that

postgraduate issues are being addressed by the Union as well as the University.

18

Vice President’s roundup

So it‟s now coming towards the end of my year as Vice President for the College of Arts and Social Sciences

and what a year it has been! As mentioned previously in this report we had many issues with IT facilities

across the University at the beginning of the semester with the IT migration and Transformation Project.

A University wide issue, but which particularly affected students in Salford Business School, was the UK

Border Agency changes to the Post Study Work Visa application. April 2012 was the last opportunity for our

international students finishing their Masters level degrees to apply for a two year visa allowing them to work

following graduation. Over 300 students within the College would have been unable to apply for their visas

due to the timing of results letters, and I am delighted to say that with our input the University pulled out all

the stops to ensure early results letters were out to students in time.

Also mentioned earlier in this report, but with many cases within the School of Humanities, Languages and

Social Sciences is the issue of social networking and student conduct. In response to the cases and our

Advice Centre‟s recommendations, I have spoken to Student Life about running a joint awareness campaign

about safety on the internet, in particular social networking sites. The campaign will be based around a

student‟s future employability being at risk as well as the consequences of writing derogatory and offensive

comments about members of staff and other students while studying at the University. I also intend to include

some awareness about the consequences of peer to peer downloading whilst using the University‟s network

as many students have found themselves breeching the University‟s Acceptable Use Policy, facing £100

fines to have their accounts reinstated.

Salford Law School have piloted the new Blackboard 9 this semester which caused quite a few issues when

it first began with students being unable to access files and often having to attempt to log in up to six times

before being able to access their lecture slides etc. Towards the end of the semester students seemed

happier with the new Blackboard system yet we have still received complaints about the general layout of the

site which has been fed back to the University.

It will be no shock for me to say that there is a lot of upset and ill

feeling amongst staff and students with all the changes

happening within the University at the moment, due to the

Transformation Project Phase 2 and the Academic

Realignment. The most vocal students are those affected by

changes in Media, Music and Performance, Humanities,

Languages and Social Sciences, and Art and Design. Students in

Business have also now had announcements about cuts. After

speaking with senior staff, meetings have been held between the

Head of School and students within Art and Design and HuLSS.

These meetings have been a perfect opportunity for students to ask questions of senior management about

the future of their courses. The Students‟ Union organised a Carnival against the Cuts on Thursday 24 May

encouraging students to creatively protest by demonstrating the skills and talents the University could lose.

We had members of the brass band playing and some of the Salford Sirens cheerleading squad showing

their support for staff involved in this process as well as many students who came along and artistically

demonstrated their frustration. Everyone donned red underpants for the occasion as a visual display against

the red-undie-cies and a highlight of the day was definitely to get a pair of „red undies‟ as well as an Italian

flag hoisted up the flag pole in Old Fire Station square. The Vice Chancellor took questions from students,

and accepted a survey report we compiled.

I am sad to be handing over the Vice Presidency although I am sure Elisaveta will do a fantastic job and I am

absolutely delighted to be taking over as the Students‟ Union President for the next academic year.

19

Contact us…

You can contact the Students‟ Union on 0161 351 5400 for general

enquiries, or use one of the emails below:

Vice President Arts and Social Sciences:

vpcass-ussu@salford.ac.uk

Students’ Union Advice Centre

advicecentre-ussu@salford.ac.uk

Student Representation Coordinator

student-representation@salford.ac.uk

More information about our structure and services can be found on

our website at www.salfordstudents.com

Thank you