My tale of me - Chris Jenkinson

Periodic reviews

I have taken part in two periodic reviews since my last report, for the schools of Dentistry and Environment and Development. Both went well, and it was each panel’s feeling that both schools are performing well, with some excellent practice but some improvements still to be made. Before the next meeting I will be reviewing the School of Law, which I will be happy to answer questions on.

Course representatives

I have finished the final set of meetings with course reps by school, where the main topics of discussion were discussing ways to pass on their knowledge to their successors next academic year as representatives, and the best suggestions will be taken forwards. They include a short end-of-year report and including outgoing reps in the course rep training. We also discussed the Union’s support this academic year and ways to improve the support for next academic year.

I held a discussion with two course reps developing some guiding principles for schools to follow regarding student representation, which was productive and these suggestions will be consulted more widely with course representatives, before being taken to the University. My aim for this project is to have these principles adopted by the University, improving the involvement of course representatives and students more generally within discussions of teaching, learning and the student experience.

I met with staff in the University to discuss ways in which the University can help support course representatives, which was a productive meeting and I believe with increased awareness of the Union’s work in this area at an institutional level the course representation system can be more effective in future.

University meetings

I attended my final meeting of Senate in my capacity as Academic Affairs Officer, where the statistics for appeals, complaints and disciplinary hearings were discussed. The figure for international students was disproportionately high, and I took the opportunity to recommend extra support for students who have previously studied in overseas institutions, as they are often not used to the British system of referencing.

I attended teaching and learning meetings for Engineering and Physical Sciences and Humanities, and contributed a student perspective on several issues, particularly anonymous marking, improving feedback, academic advisors and personalised learning.

I attended a meeting of the Exchange Project Board, which is overseeing the upgrade of the email system for students. The system being proposed is a ‘cloud’ system by Microsoft, meaning if the Board decides to do so, Microsoft will host students’ email externally. There are a few particular criteria that I am keen the solution meets, such as data protection and privacy.

I attended, with several course representatives, a session reporting the findings of a survey the School of Social Sciences conducted into teaching and learning, which was useful as it added to the evidence base for many of the improvements I have been arguing for, and in a sufficiently robust way.

I went to the University’s inaugural teaching and learning conference, and attended sessions on novel assessment techniques, academic advisor implementation, peer mentoring, online formative assessment, and curriculum mapping, and contributed my thoughts on them.

Other activity

I chaired the open meeting with the President and Vice-Chancellor, which had a disappointing turn out. I thought the questions were generally excellent and I hope they continue in the future, with more effective communication so students are aware of the event.

I have been continuing to prepare the handover for my successor and work with her to ensure she can be an effective officer from the start of her term in office.

As a life sciences student at the University of Manchester the way I was assessed in almost all modules I studied was through exams, and only exams. Yesterday, in my capacity as Academic Affairs Officer, I had the opportunity to talk to course representatives from life sciences and one of the topics we spent a fair amount of time on was whether exams are really the right way to test someone’s understanding of the subject matter, and if not, how they as representatives could go about changing the assessment system so they do test understanding.

I’ve already got strong opinions on the issue, so I sat back and enjoyed the discussion, occasionally clarifying some facts or asking some questions. It was significant that no one was that in favour of exams, other than in recognition that other methods of assessment take longer to mark and staff time is limited.

The two preferred methods suggested (though there were others) were more coursework essays spread throughout the semester, and more assessed group work or presentations. Someone made the point that in most careers, when people are asked to research a topic they are unlikely to spend crazy hours close to the deadline frantically cramming and then write a report in two hours without reference to the subject. Others talked about how, upon reflection the day after an exam, they’d already forgotten a fair amount of what they had just revised.

I’d be interested to hear what other students think about exams as a method of assessment. Do they work? What are they for? How would you prefer to be tested on your understanding of a subject?

Kate Little, a course representative in the School of Law (with a new blog), is running a campaign called “I’m Hungry for Exam Feedback”, to get the University of Manchester to give personalised feedback on exam scripts - support her and the campaign by joining the Facebook group or emailing her. Here’s my thoughts on the issue of exam feedback.

With the January 2009 exams just around the corner and thousands of University of Manchester students revising for important exams, it is worth reflecting on how exams do and can help students develop. With all the hours spent on revising over the Christmas and New Year period, a great deal of work is put in by students.

What happens after completing the exam? Often, a unit done in one semester will be related to another unit in a following semester, or the next academic year. A good writing style is important for all essay-based exams, whatever the subject. Knowing our strengths and weaknesses helps us improve. Perhaps when revising a particular student knows they need to focus more on one area of the subject matter, but less on another.

If you are a first year, it’s very likely these are your first exams at university. Wouldn’t it be helpful to know whether you’re on the right lines and what you need to do to improve for next time around?

A mark is just an average of how you performed in a particular unit - it is a two-digit number which is intended to summarise a semester’s worth of work. Just a mark does not help that much with helping students develop. Does a mark of 57 mean you’re doing the same in all questions, or does it mean you’ve got a pretty solid grip of one area but are let down by other areas? Does a mark of 65 mean you’re fine for a 2:1? Or does it mean that you’re getting outstanding marks in one section of the exam but are just scraping a pass in another?

It’s difficult to tell what it means - which is why I agree with Kate’s campaign to get feedback on exams. It might be difficult to accomplish, but it is well worth doing. Students want to know how they are doing, not just on coursework throughout the semester but on all work we do - including exams. It helps us learn - isn’t that what universities are all about?

“We’re here to improve the quality of education at the University of Manchester through open debate.”

Hi all,

Please come to the launch of the Education Assembly, on Wednesday 8th October, from 2-4pm. The event will be in the Council Chambers (top floor), Students’ Union, Steve Biko building, Oxford Road.

We’ll be discussing the University’s teaching and learning review, assessment and feedback, and finish off with higher education funding.

Teaching and learning review.

In September 2007 Alan Gilbert, the Vice-Chancellor, launched a massive grassroots review of how education works at the University of Manchester. The review looked at all aspects of education including the curriculum, personalised learning, the library, and student support, producing several recommendations on changes that must be made.

Student involvement in the process has been and will be crucial. Students have an excellent opportunity to contribute to how their education is delivered and we must take it.

Assessment and feedback.

Students across the university feel they are not given decent feedback, and the feedback they do get is late. The National Student Survey, filled in by final-year undergraduates, show this as one of the biggest problems students have.

The University recognises there is a problem. How do we, as students, help solve it?

Education funding.

Currently British and EU students contribute just over £3000 per year towards their degree, in addition to living costs, with non-EU students paying substantially more. The Government is launching a review of education funding in 2009.

The current system is unfair – we have an opportunity to challenge and put the case for an alternative funding model. What are the principles of education funding we believe in and how will we win our case?

Look forward to seeing you there,

Chris Jenkinson
Academic Affairs Officer