Nahid Farzalizadeh serves as the Students’ Union Officer for the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Appointed after completing her postgraduate degree in Chemical Engineering, Nahid shares her experiences in the role so far and her ambitions for what she hopes to accomplish during her term.
Have you ever wondered how your unique perspective could shape the future of our learning environment and student experience? In the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), we believe that every student voice has the power to create meaningful change and shape the future of our University.
Despite positive teaching feedback, the 2024 National Student Survey shows no significant improvement in overall student experience. The University has identified 15 actions to enhance performance, particularly in Assessment & Feedback and Student Voice, to be implemented across all levels.
The University of Manchester has undertaken a project to devise its Access and Participation Plan, which sets out how the university will improve equality of opportunity.
The Student Experience Action Fund is a new pot of money which all taught Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) students, including those on the Foundation Studies programme, can apply to for financial support to launch new projects or events which aim to improve the university experience of students in FSE and enhance feelings of belonging.
In April 2023 FSE staff conducted a focus group with Black Heritage students to understand their experiences at Manchester. One of the key initiatives to come from the group was the creation of a student-led network in FSE for Black heritage students. The network will provide regular opportunities for networking and socialising to increase belonging, aid transition into the university and facilitate progression.
This article explores the outcomes of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment for Student Outcomes, Student Experience and our overall grade.
Running a mid semester survey can be an effective way to get useful feedback from students in a timely fashion, to assist anyone keen to adopt such an approach a Mentimeter template has been created with some suggested questions and settings. Staff are free to access this and customise the template to suit, obviously alternative formats and technologies can be used to achieve a similar results.
An example of good practice that Teaching Academy is championing is the use of Mid-Semester Surveys across your course units. This simple check-in with students can reveal aspects of their learning students are enjoying and, most importantly, highlight any issues that could be a very simple fix, asking these questions in the middle of the survey gives you an opportunity to act on that feedback and improve the student experience.
A standard practice across the University is to ask students for their feedback on a course unit at the end of the semester. This can be a frustrating arrangement for both Staff and Students as by the time feedback is available there is no opportunity to make any adjustments that may benefit the cohort providing the feedback.
