Results
Students submitted over 20 ideas to each ‘STOP, START, and CONTINUE’ category.
Then, using a maximum of 6 dot-votes per person, reps identified the top submissions from each category. Following this, reps shared insights on these top submissions to provide further context to why they voted them as key concerns.
Stop: What should KCL stop doing?
Bunching Deadlines.
This was by far the up-voted on submission of the entire education collective meeting. Students claimed that they wanted better organisation of the exam timetable to avoid the situation where students have more than one exam per day. There was a discussion around the impact of 24-hour exams which take up more time than in person exams.
Poor Email Communication.
One of the most popular issues identified was the suggestion that students receive too many emails before the start of their course. Students shared that they want emails answered in a more-timely manner. Lecture communication was another popular theme, as students identified issues with lectures being cancelled at last minute and lecture materials not being uploaded on time. Moreover, multiple comments mentioned poor or non-timely communication around timetabling and module choices.
Lack of Examination Preparation.
Students suggested that in some faculties there was very little preparation help for students sitting exams or submitting coursework.
Start: What should KCL start doing?
Providing clearer Assessment Communication.
Assessment guidance, expectations, and examination dates were all mentioned as examples of where the university needed to provide “clearer” communication. Students suggested that essay titles and exam dates could be provided at induction. Similarly, students also expressed a desire for course content (e.g., slides) and curriculum to be uploaded earlier to KEATS at the start of a module.
Improving Social Spaces on Campus.
Multiple students submitted comments about the need for more “relaxed” social spaces available on campus. A comment that received multiple votes was the suggestion for more areas to ‘hang out indoors and outdoors at IOPPN, and students also mentioned the outdoor seating provision at Strand needed to be improved. However, is also worth noting that students shared feedback that there were “great” facilities on campus in the Continue discussion also.
Continue: What should KCL continue doing?
Programme-specific events.
Students showed a clear appreciation of the University’s provision of career and guest speaker events that were relevant to their faculty/programme. Comments demonstrated a desire for further event provision.
Developing KEATS’ potential.
Students developed an idea of staff feeling equipped to use Keats more like an alternative education-based social media feed for displaying course social events and relevant learning. Multiple students identified the need to fix bugs and fix poor-quality lecture recordings, citing examples of lecture recordings without sound or late recordings. Barriers to the information on KEATS were described, for example, those taking elective modules often faced issues when trying to access KEATS content.
Updating Reading Lists.
Students identified examples of good practice in faculties that directly uploaded PDFs of relevant readings to KEATS, rather than simply providing an access link. It was also noted that some students struggled to access certain document types after a KEATS update or struggled to access Taylor and Francis articles.
What can reps do next?
- Bring these issues up at your next Student Staff Liaison Committee.
- Read about the new KCLSU Turn The Tables Campaign here.
- If you are a rep, fill out the Turn The Tables Survey to inform KCL's timetable report. We will send out the link to the form on the 1st of December to all reps.
- Apply to sit on the KEATS working group to help shape the platform. We will be sending out an email to all academic reps with more information in January.
- Start a campaign for more social spaces on campus! (A campaign run by students led to the Denmark Hill SU space in 2019). Visit the campaigns page here.
- Start an Academic Association (or talk to an existing one) to host more programme-specifc events. Email representation@kclsu.co.uk for more info.
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