What I’ve been doing as your VP Education in the past month, fighting to ensure you get the best education possible at Essex.
How has teaching been?
A record-breaking 1,879 of you told us whether your classes and lectures have been good, okay or not good. There was a 10% rise in lectures and classes being described as ‘good’ compared to last year. 60% of students said their lectures and classes have been good, 31% okay and 9% not good. Within the comments; good lecture formats, good lecturers and engaging/interesting classes were most mentioned. Top changes students would like to see included changes to timetables, teaching methods and materials. I reported what you wanted changed to Senate and pushed through plans to boost student satisfaction.
I said I was going to take it higher and address the national issues in the higher education sector. And I did just that. My driving force is recognising the need for sector policy stability that works to create a higher education system where students can make informed choices, can live and learn comfortably, have equal access, develop transferable skills, unlock potential, and foster experiences that they can reinvest in their communities. It was incredible to be on the all-star closing panel of the Festival of Higher Education, from Wonkhe and the University of London, discussing how we should go about undergoing a major sector-wide review of the entire HE system - alongside Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive of Universities UK; Claire Callender, Professor of HE Policy; Mark Leach, Editor in Chief of Wonkhe, and David Eastwood, Former VC and Member of the Browne Review.
Skills and resources
It’s important students have the skills to be able to do their courses. Following cases that have come from SU Advice, I’ve clamped down on courses admitting students who don’t have the necessary skills to take the course and making sure the cohort has all the support necessary to get them up to speed. After a Student Rep surveyed 84 students on their course and found they were all struggling with the close deadlines, I was able to work with the department to move the deadlines further apart. I’ve been working to improve skills training by collaborating with Essex Pathways, the Student Development Team and Skills @ Essex. I’m also working to make sure Listen Again is accessible.
@joevpeducation
Joe Holmes