I have been at UCL for six years, and I have been trying to make changes, but I did not feel like we were being heard. I want to make sure that students’ interests are not pushed to the side but instead that concrete promises are made and followed through to improve student experience.
This year, as your Postgraduate Students' Officer, I hope to increase the financial support available to PG taught and research students, provide more publishing opportunities for MA students, provide childcare support to encourage the participation of students with caring responsibilities, scrap application fees for PG programmes, and implement the same no-detriment policy from 2019/2020 for all academic years affected by Covid-19.
The people I have met, I will never forget our memories.
I made the most of listening to lectures outside and going on long walks whenever the weather allowed. I also saved lots of time by not having to commute or run from one lecture to the other, which I spent annoying my partner instead. But I missed playing team sports and seeing my friends offline.
Make friends and never feel guilty about spending too much time socialising. It proves to be as useful as studying, especially in the first year. Also, try not to leave everything to the last minute, because that just creates extra stress that you do not need. Oh and back-up your work on an external hard drive!
- Ensure that PGR students are supported and valued so they are motivated to succeed.
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I will do this by pushing to implement the transition mentor scheme for PGR students and PGTAs, by working with the UCL Arena Centre to improve feedback from supervisors and by lobbying to UCL to fix overseas fees for research students so they do not fluctuate year on year.
30/11: The doctoral school supported the idea, however, there are no funds available for this project currently. Therefore, I am in the process of bidding for the project. I am also investigating the possibility of including PGR transition mentors in the central system that they have for UG students. We are also considering running a "buddy scheme" for PGR students in the meantime.
18/02: I am submitting a response to one of the strategy papers to request the extension of the transition mentor scheme for PGR and PGT students and I am working with the new Vice Provost Education and Student Experience on it. I am also working with Registry on proposing other ways to improve transition for PGR students, such as creating a pdf document outlining all important information for PGR students, organising monthly lunches and pre-arrival Unibuddies and expanding the PG network. We are preparing a report from the Students' Union on the issues with supervision and I will use this report for my proposal to UCL to complete exit surveys with students to find out more about PGR students' experiences with supervision.
ONGOING
- Ensure that PGTAs are respected, valued, treated fairly and know their rights.
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I will do this by promoting the PGTA Code of Practice to students so that they know their rights and entitlements, by working with UCL to ensure all areas comply with the PGTA Code of Practice, and to review the pay scales for PGTAs, and by working with UCL Arena Centre to improve training and awareness amongst staff for the PGTA Code of Practice.
30/11: With the Research Students' Officer and the PGR Faculty Reps we wrote a proposal letter to the UCL Arena Centre to request to improve their training for both staff and students regarding the PGTA Code of Practice. The Arena Centre have set up a steering group, and they are gathering data to ensure that they can make the most appropriate changes. In the meantime, they have included the Code of Practice in the standard teaching opportunities form and agreed to re-circulate information about it to the UCL community of teaching administrators. They are also having meetings regarding this with HR. With the help of the PGR Faculty Reps, we have been monitoring that all PGTAs receive the correct pay scales and followed up on areas that did not comply with the PGTA Code of Practice. I have reached out to the PGR reps, to gather short clips or articles on the tips they would give to new PGTAs. I have also opened this up to all students and I am running a competition for the most creative entries.
ONGOING
- Ensure that students can access and shape their postgraduate studies, with quality feedback, support and opportunities that help them succeed.
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I will lobby to UCL to scrap application fees for PG programmes, to fix fees for Masters students so they do not fluctuate for the duration of their studies, and I will work with the Arena Centre on improving the support and training on assessment feedback, and work with UCL on clearer processes for changing supervisors for projects and dissertations.
30/11: In progress.
18/02: I am working on a submission to the Admissions Transformation Programme Board to scrap application fees for PG programmes. I am also in conversations with the new Vice-Provost Education and Student Experience on fixing fees for Masters students, so that they do not fluctuate for the duration of their studies. We are preparing a report from the Students' Union on the issues with supervision and I will use this report for my proposal to UCL to create clearer processes for changing supervisors for projects and dissertations. I am working with the Arena Centre on improving the support and training on assessment feedback, and I am also in touch with the new Vice-Provost Education and Student Experience on quality control for assessment feedback.
ONGOING
- Ensure that student parents & carers have the respect, support and facilities in order for them to succeed.
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I will do this by working with the Equity Officer on securing a pilot into Child Friendly Study Spaces, by encouraging training for supervisors on how to handle students with caring responsibilities, by working with the Doctoral School on encouraging all departments to allocate daily "child-accepting" hours in their PGR offices, and by working with the IOE and the Day Nursery on allowing more PGCE students to complete their placements in the Day Nursery.
30/11: We have been part of a steering group, which finished with a draft Children on Campus Policy and a list of recommendations such as approving the Children on Campus Policy and encouraging departments to set up their own family study rooms and allocating time in the week when offices are "child-accepting". The project sponsor is Fiona Ryland and the list of proposals will be considered by UMC, so fingers crossed we will see some change soon! We are in conversations with the Arena Center and the Doctoral School on how to ensure that supervisors who handle students with caring responsibilities are trained to support these students appropriately.
18/02: We are working on a paper with the Estates Team that we will take to the Central Estates Strategy Board in April to propose spaces that we can use as child-friendly study spaces and potentially a creche. We are taking an updated version of the paper that we finalised with the Childcare Provision Steering Group to the People and Cultures Committee at the beginning of March, which includes suggestions like encouraging departments to set up their own family study rooms and allocating time in the week when offices are "child-accepting, expanding the UCL Day Nursery, subsidising local holiday clubs, introducing a student childcare bursary at UCL, etc. We are also taking the Children on Campus policy for approval. We are in conversations with the Arena Centre and the Doctoral School on how to ensure that supervisors who handle students with caring responsibilities are trained to support these students appropriately.
ONGOING
- Ensure that students have a greater impact on society, through publishing and partnerships provided by UCL.
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I will do this by working with UCL Press to increased more opportunities for publishing for PGT and PGR students and to promote students publishing in teh UCL Open Access Student Journals, by working with Academic Services to ensure students are not penalised for publishing their work, in particular with regards to self-plagiarism, and by working with Volunteering to promote the Community Research Initiative for Students (CRIS) and other similar initiatives such as Dissertation for Good.
30/11: The PGR academic reps from the Institute of Child Health created a survey that we sent to all students, which proved that there was confusion regarding the plagiarims guidelines. We are working closely with the doctoral school and the reps on the new guidelines, which will help clarify the rules for everyone. I worked with Volunteering to promote the Community Research Initiative for students (CRIS) and other similar initiatives, such as dissertation for Good. In progress. I had meetings with UCL Press and the Library about this, who expressed some difficulties with increasing publishing opportunities for PGT and PGR students and promoting students publishing in the UCL Open Access Journals. My next meeting regarding this is set up for the 25th of November to discuss items including how to support UCL Press to extend its aims and scope so that all UCL students’ work is suitable for it.
18/02: The PGR academic reps from the Institute of Child Health created a survey that we sent to all students, which proved that there was confusion regarding the plagiarism guidelines. We are working closely with the doctoral school and the reps on the new guidelines, which will help clarify the rules for everyone. I worked with Volunteering to promote the Community Research Initiative for students (CRIS) and other similar initiatives, such as dissertation for Good. I had meetings with UCL Press and the Library about this, who expressed some difficulties with increasing publishing opportunities for PGT and PGR students and promoting students publishing in the UCL Open Access Journals. I am trying to work with UCL press to publish an open access edition of the best 100 dissertations and PhDs at UCL each year.
ONGOING
- Ensure that students continue to have flexibility and access to digital resources post-pandemic.
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I will do this by working with UCL Arena Centre on the future of lecturing and how best for evolve this to improve student learning, by working with UCL Library Services to ensure resources and services such as scan and send are maintained going forward, and by working with UCL to ensure lecture capture is maintained going forward and teaching staff are well-trained to use it.
30/11: We have agreed with the Library that they will ensure that resources and services such as scan and send, more e-book subscriptions and collection services are maintained going forward. They have also introduced an auto-renew system. We are in the process of writing a statement in favour of maintaining lecture recordings going forward, because through the different student-feedback channels (such as the policy zones, emails and face-to-face interactions), we were informed how much students appreciated accessible learning during the pandemic due to the recordings. It made it easier to take notes, rewind important topics, revise, and students with caring responsibilities had an added flexibility. I am fighting to keep this flexibility as much as possible. We are also representing this in all the committees that we sit on.
ONGOING
- Try my best to ensure that students who have been impacted by COVID-19 are fairly compensated and not disadvantaged.
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I will monitor the impact of the No Detriment Package for 2020/21 and how it influences 2021/22 and beyond, push for refunds and compensation for students with respect to their studies in 2020/21, working with the Education Officer on our involvement with external networks such as Students United Against Fees (SUAF).
30/11: Moving forward, PG taught students are going to be able to self-certify for three mitigation periods during the year. The rest are in progress. ONGOING
- Ensure that students have a platform where they can reduce waste by buying and re-selling used products.
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I will set up a second hand sustainability shop for students.
30/11: The sustainability shop will go live on the first day of term 2.
18/02: The Hanger Marketplace second hand sustainability shop has been set up and it is very popular. Check it out here.
ONGOING
- Ensure that Postgraduate students are a core part of our vibrant student societies.
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I will do this by working with the Activities Team to ensure society elections are inclusive of Masters students, and to affiliate and support more postgraduate departmental societies.
30/11: We discussed our options to make the society elections more accessible for Postgraduate students on the Activities Zone, where other students were supportive of the idea of electing a PG rep at the same time as electing a First Year rep for societies. I am currently trying to find the best way to implement this. I am running regular Postgraduate events such as: Wine and Cheese, Tea and Cakes and Mature Students' Breakfast and Coffee. I am in the process of organising online events such as: Speedfriending, and Escape Room, and I am also organising Board Games' nights.
18/02: We discussed our options to make the society elections more accessible for Postgraduate students on the Activities Zone, where other students were supportive of the idea of electing a PG rep at the same time as electing a First Year rep for societies. I am currently trying to find the best way to implement this by the next round of First Year rep elections in September. I am running regular Postgraduate events such as: Wine and Cheese, Tea and Cakes, Board Games' nights and we are running the Mature Students' Breakfast and Coffee with the new Mature and Part-time Students' Officer.
ONGOING
- Support Academic Reps to be at the centre of decision making across UCL, where their voice is valued and has impact.
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I will do this by holding regular catch ups with the Faculty Reps and Lead Departmental Reps, by communicating regularly with students and academic reps on the work we are doing and by reviewing the handover and transition arrangements for Academic Reps.
30/11: I held regular catch-ups with Faculty Reps and Lead Departmental Reps over the summer and in the last few weeks (after the new elections) and I will continue these. I also co-led the Faculty Reps and Lead Departmental Reps' training sessions. We are updating the website on what we do regulary, and we also update students in the newsletter and on social media.
18/02: I continued to hold catch-ups with Faculty Reps and Lead Departmental Reps. I also co-led the Faculty Reps and Lead Departmental Reps' training sessions. We are updating the website on what we do regularly, and we also update students in the newsletter and on social media. Please let us know what else we could do!
ONGOING
