Teaching & Learning Awards 2006/07

Student Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning 2006/07

It’s your chance to reward the member of staff you feel has had the greatest impact on your learning. You can nominate lecturers and support staff such as technicians, postgraduate demonstrators, secretaries, librarians, study skills staff, careers and ITS support staff etc.

Fill in the online form and don’t forget to give specific examples of how the person you’re nominating has supported your learning and progress at University. Submit your nomination form and for the chance to be one of the lucky winners in our prize draw remember to give your contact details!

So who will you nominate? Click here to fill in the form

University Challenge

The quest is on to find a tip top team to represent the University of Reading on University Challenge.

Please head to this link and sign up! http://www.rusu.co.uk/DisplayPage.asp?pageid=21424

Week 8 - Monday 5th March - 6.30pm in Mojos

If you know a brainy person send them the link!

Come on.....Challenge yourself...

Finalists Fayre

Finalists Fayre....tips on exams, post grad courses, study support.....and thinking of life after Uni.... Week 9...more to follow

Watch this space.

Ryan
r.j.e.bird@reading.ac.uk

Course Rep Training

Course Rep Training - Week 4 - Friday 9th Feb - 12-2 in Palmer G03

Course Reps are the backbone of RUSU, and those involved in student representation from lectures to students, support staff to senior management all have the same ultimate goal, that being to improve education here @ Reading.

Most Staff-Student Committees will meet shortly or already have. Check if you haven’t heard anything already.

Ryan

r.j.e.bird@reading.ac.uk

Swinging Library Doors

The swinging doors.....or the doors of death as they have been called!

there are two facebook groups calling for the removal of the doors, one with over 1000 Reading Students in. This is something the student population feel very strongly about. Dave stated in a recent spotlight:

Ryan Bird, VP Education, has been working hard with the library this year to identifyissues which students feel could improve their experience of the service, this includes opening hours, PC access, social space and the doors of death at the bottom of the stairs.

After Ryan’s hard work and persistence, he was pleased to report to a recent Sabb meeting that the doors are under full review, its ‘high on the agenda’ and during the summer, as the refurbishment takes place, they will hopefully be removed."

The refurb in the summer will completely change the way students interact with faclilites on the groundfloor of the Library...and this will hopefully be without the doors of death!

ryan
r.j.e.bird@reading.ac.uk

Skills Online At Reading

Skills Online At Reading - www.rdg.ac.uk/soar

Whether you are an undergraduate, postgraduate, international or home student, you will develop these transferable skills during your time at the University of Reading. SOAR is here to connect you to a wealth of opportunities to further develop your skills. Explore this website to find out how you can enhance your skills, both through your studies and extra curricular activities.

This site is great, both Emily and I have had a lot of input into this along with students across campus. This was an outcome of a Transferable skills review that finished last year. The core transferable skills you find on this website will be appearing in programme specifications over the next year and will be fully embedded into your studies. Its great that all this skills that you can gain in or outside your degree can now be found in one place!

www.rdg.ac.uk/soar - Let us know how you find it.

Also RU Ready training now has its Spring Term timetable ready...Presentation skills, time management, meeting skills, elections, CV writing and interview skills. visit www.rusu.co.uk/ruready or www.rdg.ac.uk/soar

Ryan

r.j.e.bird@reading.ac.uk

National Student Survey

We fully support the NSS, giving students at Reading the opportunity to asses their degree experience against students against other Universities. Last year Reading University came 13th in the UK, and we have used the results to lobby for improvements within the University, particularly in the area of assessment and feedback.

The survey is for final year undergraduates ONLY, and if you lot want to do it now, you can at http://www.thestudentsurvey.com/survey.asp

The Union gets a chance to see the full results, with lots of comparative data, which for the 2006 Survey showed that younger students were more satisfied with their course than mature students, male students were happier than female students, that white students were more satisfied than black students, that the least satisfied students in the areas of Assessment and Feedback were Construction Management students and that Agriculture was seen as the best department in terms of personal development.

Please fill it in and make a difference for future students!

So whats been done since last year's survey? Click here to see the University press release of last years results

The press release above is all very good, but what it doesnt say is that the feedback & assesment results were dissapointing, as it was for most institutions....

.....so what is being done about this?

Well, the University has very quickly acted on this, the committee responsible for Exams and Assesment is currently collecting information from departments/schools of best practice and through the Course Rep system i have recieved feedback on good practice and some not so good practice! All this in turn will be fed into the planning and delivery of programmes.

Student feedback is vital to ongoing development of the student experience here @ Reading, the work done by your Students' Union and your sabbatical officers could not be done without it. Thats why our Course Rep system is so important, and why surveys like the National Student Survey are key to helping us and helping you!

For more information visit http://www.rusu.co.uk/DisplayPage.asp?pageid=21092

Ryan

r.j.e.bird@reading.ac.uk

Happy New Year!

New year, new plans......well work in progress...back to work to start planning at least. More to follow.

I am 1/2 way through my sabb year, the time has flown by. When reflecting on last term i am pleased to say i enjoyed it even though tough at times...!


My personal highlights of the term include: The National Demo, training more course reps then ever before, Freshers week and seeing so many students support and help with the Save Physics Campaign - it was good to see students actively campaigning on what they felt so strongly about.

The term seen some great student activism with the demo and the physics campaign, i would certainly say the education portfolio at RUSU has been keeping educational matters high on the agenda - and rightly so - as i regularly get quoted in the office:


'We are all here for an education'


Some of the lower points for me: Walking out of the University Council meeting alone, to see physics students waiting outside for the result - having to tell them that despite a strong campaign physics would be no longer at Reading was pretty tough. But having said that i was so impressed with their passion and belief in the subject, they really are a great bunch. I still struggle to understand why such a fundamental and important science can be axed in such a way. I guess also the 60-70+ hour weeks (which i always said i would never do) mid term were also hard, people sometimes think student officers have it easy, well as much as the job is great it is certainly something that becomes your life! But i would recommend it to anyone - so much to gain to learn and to enjoy!


Despite the low points, the Autumn term has been great....with each and every day so different, bring on the spring term.


So after my short reflection thoughts - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's to a great term, lots of laughs and more great work for students!

Ryan

r.j.e.bird@reading.ac.uk

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas!
Ryan x

Plagiarism

Many students are anxious about plagiarism and correct referencing. Deliberate plagiarism is a serious acadmic offence. However, accidental plagiarism is usually due to poor academic practice. Click here for top tips and good practice that will help you understand that avoiding plagiarism is not a secret formula, but plain commonsense.

Is Guinness good for you?

Hmm, i like a guinness....

found this article on the web - makes me feel better!!

Guinness is good for me - fact!

Last Wednesday Night @ the union....

Last Wednesday of term = packed union = amazing night = another reason why i love my job!

Teaching & Learning Strategy

Below is an article from Spark (24/11/06) on the Teaching and Learning Strategy. After reading the below.....It would be great if students could do a small survey to rate the values they feel underpin the teaching and learning experience here at Reading.

CLICK HERE TO DO SURVEY - it will take no more than 2 minutes.

These values will be compared to the staff results..! They will then go on to form part of the strategy. So have your say!

Thanks Ryan
r.j.e.bird@reading.ac.uk

Spark Article (24/11/06) - T & L

Students will get the opportunity to have their say on what they think about teaching and learning at the University of Reading in the next week.

Newly appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor for Teaching & Learning Professor Rob Robson is keen to update the current approach to how the university teaches and what the aims are for the future.

The Teaching and Learning Strategy is a document which outlines the direction of teaching and learning for the next five to six years making it extremely important for current and prospective students.

Professor Robson will be working with student officers, VP Education Ryan Bird and VP Development Emily Beardsmore and will next week be asking students and staff to rank the values that they think underpin teaching and learning at the university. For example, do you find it more important to have a stimulating lecture or how diverse the course is? The response will be worked into the new strategy which lasts until 2010.

Mr Bird is keen to emphasise the importance of this document even though it does not sound a particularly sexy topic. He said: 'Universities exist to produce knowledge, and students are a focal part of that existence, and the teaching & learning strategy puts students at the heart of this.”

Importance is placed on the skills needed by graduates to break into the job market after university. As a result the university wants to highlight the skills gained from students’ courses, and programmes outside the academic sphere. For example employers are looking for more graduates who have volunteered during their degree so as a result the university wants to improve this to enhance every Reading graduate to their full potential.

For those of you reading this dying to know more of this important and interesting strategy here are a few extracts from it. Under the title, Vision, it states: “Using our distinctive taught provision based upon the ‘Reading graduate’ and underpinned and informed by the research and scholarly activities of our staff, we will foster an increasingly diverse student population; enable them to achieve their learning ambitions through the flexibility of our delivery and the support of a strong learning and teaching community; and equip them with the academic and transferable skills necessary for them to succeed beyond graduation.”

By the time students graduate the document says you should have demonstrated scholarship appropriate to their level of award in their chosen discipline(s), demonstrated the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, acquired appropriate IT and information handling skills and the list goes on.

The university is one of the United Kingdom’s leading research intensive institutions of higher education and their mission? “Our mission is to promote the growth, transfer and application of knowledge.”

Rebecca Cain

If you want to read the current strategy go to www.rdg.ac.uk/vc/whatwedo/tandl.htm.

TAKE STUDENT SURVEY HERE

Feedback....

Way back in August/September the a University Press Release on the National Student Survey (NSS) stated how well the University scored, but one area in which Reading could improve (as with many ofther Uni's) is Assesment and Feedback....

So i started asking myself some questions..

What is feedback?
How long should students wait for an essay to be returned?
Is generic group feedback is useful?
Do students read the comments on essays?
Are proforma sheets (tickbox) on essays good feedback?
Is the final percentage important?

Is this lower score a question of students not being aware of what feedback is....? or Academics not giving enough quality feedback? Currently we are gathering information from departments and schools about this, and shortly will be asking student....


This year's finalists will be asked to fill in the survey for 2006/7 after christmas...more will follow!

Any comments on this on please email me

Ryan
r.j.e.bird@reading.ac.uk

What have i been doing....? Overview of report sent to Education Committee

Education Committee – 30/11/06
VP Education Report

This report is intended to give a brief overview of the things I have been up to recently, and also some of what my role entails. There are three sections, which I see as the key parts of the VP Education Role – Representation, Campaigning & Support.

Representing Students

The majority of my time is taken up in University meetings, I have listed most of them below to give you an idea of the range and quantity. Its great having the opportunity to input in to these meetings, ranging from very operation ones such at Timetabling through to strategic meetings such as the University Board for Teaching & Learning and up to the highest level meetings of Senate & Council. During these meetings I provide the student perspective, but also sitting on so many I also get a good insight of the structure and processes in the University, the student voice is vital, and can really steer change in the University. Course & Faculty Reps are also a major part of this representation, and considerable amounts of work has been done training and supporting them.

>Some of my Meetings & Committees

Careers Advisory Board, Centre for Excellence for Careers Management, Post Graduate, Information Security & Strategy, Welfare Support & Guidance, University Board for Teaching and Learning, University Board for Research, Teaching & Learning Facilities(T &L) , IT in T & L, Web Steering Group, Programme Management, Blackboard working groups, PDP, Teaching & Learning Strategy Review, University Council, University Senate, Bookshop Advisory Board, Student Union Liaison Committee, Group on Student Recruitment, Centre for Excellence in Undergraduate Research Skills, Examinations & Assessment, Failures Committee Review, CSV, Curators of the Library.....

Elected Chair of University Staff/Student Forum

>Conferences & Training I have attended

National Student Learner Programme (NSLP)
NUS Education Officer Training
Research Based learning in Higher Education.
Research Assesment Exersise (RAE) student consultation exercise
STADIA – Student Activites & Development (Course Reps)

Campaigning for Students

In terms of campaigning, this term has seen a mass of activity in the education zone. The National Demo was the first campaign, in which students joined a rally in London saying No to soaring levels of debt, No to any attempt to lift the cap, No to the marketisation of education & yes to a free education for all. The work around this really raised the issue and has students talking about it. This is part of a national long term campaign which is working towards keeping the cap in 2010. More work on this will carry on through the year.

The Physics Closure has been a real challenge, and also been the lowest point of my time at RUSU. The recommendation of the closure arrived late on Friday on the eve of Freshers Week and just before the biggest open day of the year (which I had worked hard on with the University) this was not an easy start to the year. The campaign was very strong, with good arguments and great support from students, staff and also raised issues at a national level. We worked closely with the Lectures Union (UCU) who all said how strong our campaign was. Unfortunately University Senate & Council voted for the closure, purely on financial reasons. Our focus now is on the future education of the students in the department, and I will be working closely with the University on this.

Supporting Students

There has been increased pressure on resources with a key member of staff leaving, the role is being reviewed and the position to be filled after Christmas, this support for Course Reps etc will continue through VP Education until then.

We are also working on a bid to the University for an Education Advisor. This role is to support the VP Education & Advice team in terms of academic appeals & complaints. This has taken a considerable amount of my time up, and this post is now top of the synergies agenda with the University. It has been approved at all levels, but were the money comes from is now up for consultation. This post will also support the work needed in regards to the QAA next year.

Course Rep Training – over 80 Course Reps trained, brings current number to 350+. Training sessions had excellent feedback, and has improved year on year.

Work on the Faculty Representation implementation group has continued, and a series of papers have now been completed for Students, Faculty Staff and Department/School staff. On going work includes the mapping of University Committees/meetings there function and membership.

I have been involved in the co-ordination and delivery of MASIV and the RUReady training sessions.

I have also helped set up the Mature Students Society, this is a real step forward and will help us to represent their views and issues to a higher standard.

Plans for the Future – notes on some of the ongoing work I will be doing.

• Continued work on the Demo
• Plagiarism Awareness – work starts next week.
• Improving Assessment & Feedback
• Post Grad society/representation group
• Further work on embedding the Course Rep system
• Course Rep training
• Lobbying for Educational Advisor
• Improved teaching & learning facilities at Bulmershe
• Working with the Library in relation to opening hours and the refurbishment of the ground floor.
• Review of Teaching & Learning strategy
• Pilots for Blackboard
• PDP
• Representing students at University Committees and meetings.
• The start of the QAA
• SE Weighting Campaign
• Finance Campaign/ Exam Stress

Physics Press Release

PHYSICS STILL GETS THE AXE DESPITE STRONG OPPOSITION FROM STUDENTS AND STAFF

The controversial proposal to close Physics at Reading has been approved by the University Council. It comes with great disappointment to both students and lecturers, after weeks of strong campaigning. Huge support came locally, nationally and internationally, yet despite all this Reading is set to lose one of the most fundamental sciences in 2010.

Students and lecturers came together in solidarity both campaigning and voicing their concerns about the closure. Before the council meeting around 200 protesters marched through the university, and were addressed by several speakers including Sally Hunt, UCU joint secretary and Dave Lewis, RUSU President. Calls were made for a more detailed analysis of the department’s future, the implications of closure and the possibility of alternatives, these were pushed aside by Council, and the fate of Physics was sealed with 18 votes for the closure, 5 against and 1 abstention.

Dave Lewis, President and Ryan Bird, VP Education were at the lengthy meeting which was guarded by security. There was much discussion and support to keep Physics, yet the final decision was shadowed by lines from the corporate plan which included the need to invest into areas of excellence and to enhance the financial viability of the university, the Council decided not to keep Physics open on these grounds. With around 40% of Physics lectures attended by students outside physics, this closure will affect Maths, Meteorology, and Chemistry to name a few.



Dave Lewis, President said:

‘With Mechanical Engineering, Music, Sociology and now Physics all disappearing from the Reading portfolio in the past few years, people will be asking which subject is next.’

‘The University talk of their commitment to pure science, yet the closure of Physics does not echo this. With the loss of the Physics department goes lecturers, PhD students, laboratory equipment, collaboration with departments and choice for students.’

‘The financial position of the University dominated the discussion, whilst an important factor, wider issues seemed to be avoided including perception from the academic community, choice and demands of students, the Goverment agenda, the student experience and relationships with stakeholders'



Ryan Bird, VP Education added:

‘It comes with great frustration and disappointment that council voted for the closure, six months ago a review concluded that an important and strong, viable physics presence was in line with the corporate plan, yet since then physics has gone from important to only desirable. The only change is in the Universities finances, and that should not have been to the detriment of Physics’

‘To lose such a fundamental science in a research based institution, seems crazy, at a time when students are looking in more and more detail at universities, they will see a large gap in the science portfolio at Reading’

RUSU will be working closely with the university to ensure that the education of current Physics students is not disadvantaged by this decision, and that promises by senior management to keep a presence in physics at Reading including areas such as Nanoscience and Microscopy are followed up.

Ends

Notes to Editors

RUSU, independent from the University of Reading, represents the interests, diversity and needs of over 17,000 students. The Union is run for students by students, offering advice, services, support and welfare. They also run bars. The Students’ Union offers a variety of entertainments, events and campaigns for a diverse and demanding student population.

For more information contact: President, Dave Lewis d.c.lewis@rdg.ac.uk, 07973 503 401 or VP Education, Ryan Bird r.j.e.bird@rdg.ac.uk 07980 697 089



More info on the closure avaliable here




UCU Photos of the protest

National Demo

Thanks for coming to the demo, and thank you for taking part in a campaigning, vibrant and active student community. The work on this has only just begun.........

We're only as strong as our weakest member, so its important that we work towards a Higher Education system which is properly funded and where students can make decisions based on quality not cost.

Pictures of the day can be found below...

http://www.rusu.co.uk/DisplayPage.asp?pageid=20131

Ryan x

Course Rep Training

Emails have been flying out this week to academic staff about the course rep training which is taking place in week 4 - next week, yet it feels like Fresher's Week was only days ago. So much has happen though since....

This evening i have finished the first issue of the course rep newsletter, which will go out tomorrow - once my email decides to work again!

Below is a copy of the training details - don't forget, even if you did the training last year please come along, your experience and input will be excellent for those reps who are just starting out.

-------------

Training for Course Reps will take place during week 4. Please email volunteer@reading.ac.uk with your preferred sessions. Any student that sits on a Staff-Student Committee is welcome to come along, the sessions are interactive and informative. We had excellent feedback from last year.

Monday 30th Oct 6.30-8.30pm Palmer 106
Tuesday 31st Oct 12-2pm Palmer G05
Thursday 2nd Nov 12-2pm Palmer 107

Also this year we have Faculty Rep training

Friday 3rd Nov 12-2 Palmer G02

This will have RUSU and University input, and is an additional session to the Course Rep Training, providing more detailed sessions on meetings, minutes and communication.

We will re-run some extra sessions in week 7 for those who miss any of the above.

If you have any questions about the training or the scheme, please contact Ryan Bird r.j.e.bird@reading.ac.uk or visit www.rusu.co.uk/coursereps. Also I would be grateful if you could email me details of your new reps so I can add them to the RUSU Course Rep mailing list.

Many thanks

Ryan

r.j.e.bird@rdg.ac.uk

National Demo Tickets now on sale.......!

Tickets are avaliable from the Box Office

£2 to secure your place on the coach, free breakfast @ rusu before the coaches leave, plus a ticket to the 'After Demo Debate' on Thursday Week 4.

Join us for our day out in London............

Our voice will be heard!

Ryan

www.rusu.co.uk/demo

National Demo

With Just over two weeks to go, the Demo is fast upon us.

I have spent some time today updating the website www.rusu.co.uk/demo

and entering over half of the emails from the petition during freshers week.... guess what i will be doing with my sunday afternoon.....

Give it a go sessions will start next week, your chance to pop along to 3sixty @ lunchtimes to take part in some pre demo action. chants, letters to MPs, T-shirt printing.... and many more check the demo website for more information.

Tickets go on sale on monday from the box office, £2 to secure your place on the coach, plus a free breakfast, and ticket for the after demo debate in week 4 (more to follow).

Its going to be a great day out.... so keep sunday 29th October free in your diary.

Ryan