Impact caught up with the current Education Officer to talk about his year in office. He told us how he has been successful in making printing cheaper and working towards lecture recordings. Although there have been some issues, he says the University and the SU have a good relationship comparative to other universities.
How have you found your year in office?
It has been really fun, more responsibility than I perhaps imagined but also a lot more support. You’re always nervous when you go into these things, is it going to be like a school council? I was concerned you’re told you’re going to have a voice but you can’t really make any changes. But it has been so reassuring the amount of support we have in the Union and in the University.
We managed to reduce printing prices by 20%, and by 50% on larger formats
What have been your successes this year?
A lot of our successes were that projects from last year were finished. In my manifesto, I was clear that a lot of projects are ongoing work. We managed to reduce printing prices by 20%, and by 50% on larger formats. One project has led to another. We also got printers put in all halls on campus and that happened just before Christmas. We’re now working on getting printers in off-campus halls. This has led to more work – wifi speeds and technology issues at Sutton Bonington. It has been interesting to take on and finish last year’s work.
We would be four times bigger than the biggest current lecture capturing university in the world
Have you encountered any problems or issues?
The scale of lecture capturing everything has been an issue. The business case is going to the University for approval. If it were to go ahead, we would be four times bigger than the biggest current lecture capturing university in the world.
Putting that goal on your manifesto is great but when you get to it you find out that that goal is so huge, that has been a challenge. But we have been accepting of it and we are still really positive about it.
One manifesto point you ran on was ensuring students got feedback on work within 21 days. Have you managed to achieve that?
That was existing policy already, this manifesto point was aimed at ensuring it was enforced. I have come across a few exceptions to this policy and we have managed to deal with them. But one problem goes the other way if a lecturer gives work back earlier, say after ten days, which can be unfair to other students who wait longer. We need to work to make sure that the standard is equal and fair.
Did you manage to implement online personalised timetables?
This was interesting as a student made an app that was successful, but the problem was that the University’s data system is old it can’t link up properly with mobile phones. Unfortunately, I received a call from the University asking for the app to be taken down as the app couldn’t guarantee accuracy.
We are making sure Project Transform delivers personalised online timetables
But, we are making sure Project Transform, an £80 million project to update the University’s IT services delivers this.
Were you able to work towards the ‘100% recorded lectures’ policy?
The executive level and senior management are quite positive about this. The point is that lecturers often have a problem. There is a trend in that older, more traditional lecturers tend to be more against it.
We are now looking at the physical requirements to implement lecture capture
But the University is generally committed to it. We are now looking at the physical requirements to achieve this. It’s more a case of thinking how we can do this, rather than convincing that it is a good idea.
I ran on 100% because you need to be ambitious and there’s no point aiming for less. This goal will take a few years as it is a large scale goal and I knew that from the start
The optimum amount of recorded lectures would probably be about 85%, as some seminars or lectures, such as some in Music, might not work as a recording or students prefer if it was not recorded.
How did you get on with implementing a standardised hand-in procedure?
We have recognised that we need more research. Our Education Network researcher has done a project, particularly looking at joint honours. We need to work with schools to convert to online, so that students can hand in work wherever they are, especially if they are not physically in Nottingham.
In five years most will have online hand in, in ten hopefully all. We have done incremental work towards this.
I would say that we have felt consulted in most places
Impact reported that next year’s international student fees appeared to be increasing above inflation and you told us you weren’t included in the decision making process. Do you think you should have been?
This decision was made before I started , it had already been publishing on the University’s website when I took up office and although this would have come under the remit of the officer before me, I would say that we have felt consulted in most places.
That said, officers have less impact on business based decisions: which courses open or close, fees. I support the International Officer in her policy against fee increases but all we can really do is lobby to not increase fees.
This particular issue is not on the table so we can’t lobby on that but if it was, I would lobby. The fee decision informs financial forecasts, and heavily researched so unfortunately, we can’t reverse such a big decision.
The Creative and Professional Writing (CPW) course is to be closed, along with Fine Art and some others. How do you feel about this, do you think UoN has an agenda?
The University definitely has some rationale. All courses that were closed were undergraduate courses that found their way into the School of Education. As a CPW graduate myself and a member of the supporters’ group, most students on the course agree it didn’t fit in the school. The Education department produces teachers, so it was always weird that those courses were there.
The disappointment was that the CPW course wasn’t re-integrated somewhere else
The disappointment was it wasn’t re-integrated somewhere else. I, and other creative writers, have sympathy that the course was removed from that school, although it is horrible when your course closes down. I found out via your article. I’m currently working with the school and course reps to ensure the course continues to work for current students, especially so first years get the value they signed up for.
The way the school handled communications on this was poor. Staff found out in a very negative way. Objectively, the decision is sensible to take it out of the School of Education, but it’s a shame it has not been put somewhere else.
Equally, English do a course – English and Creative Writing, but the CPW course emphasises the professional side more. You can see why English might not want to take that on – they have their lecturers and their modules and it would be a lot of work to take it on, every School is very busy. It’s not an excuse, but it is a reason, and, of course, there is no obligation for English to take it on.
It’s a real shame, it won’t affect the university much in terms of their bankroll, but the course brought a kind of diversity.
Is there a gap between your knowledge/remit as an SU officer and the executive management of the University? Does the University always want the same as the students?
I actually came in quite sceptical, but we have a good relationship. We receive a £3 million grant from the University. Compared to other universities, we have a better relationship.
Both the University’s strategy and the Union’s strategy have the student at the heart
Both the University’s strategy and the Union’s strategy have the student at the heart and we have collaborated on them. The direction of travel in them is similar.
We all want to work on the student experience. We can’t always get what we want, however. For example, the new George Green café was supposed to open in phase one, now that’s not happening due to finance and capacity issues.
Officers have regular opportunities to present to Senate. We are valued in meetings and with the Vice Chancellor and executive team.
Do you have any advice to potential candidates?
Be yourself, ambitious, passionate. Speak to students, before and while you campaign. Don’t be afraid to champion issues your housemates or you, yourself are having. Chances are if you have an issue, a lot of other people will be experiencing it too. It’s a long campaign, don’t put on an act because people will find out later.
Caroline Chan
Image: Andreas Billman for Impact Images
Cheaper printing was always going to happen. The university printing contract ran out and all of the new suppliers offered cheaper printing.
Lecture recordings was going to be pushed long before BK started. That’s why they bought all those fancy new lecterns.
Wifi at Sutton Bonington is solved by just emailing IT service desk and pointing out where it doesn’t exist.
Is the education officer really saying that it’s bad if students get coursework given back in 10 days instead of 21? 21 days it the maximum, it’s not a target.
The university called BK and asked him to take down a student made app which presented timetables? Instead of working with the students to improve it? Way to be bullied.
Isn’t education officer one of those that sits on like every committee in the uni to the highest level? Yet you couldn’t get involved in the international fee decision?
You also did nothing about the CPW course closing?
Useless. You’ve done nothing.