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INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Appendix A. Student survey About this questionnaire RGU has established a working group to look at the future of teaching and learning in the University. As part of the work of this group, we would like to find out about your opinions on the future of learning, both within RGU and beyond. Confidentiality is guaranteed. All data is recorded anonymously: you will not be identifiable at any stage. We are asking for your feedback for research purposes only, so we would be grateful if you could be as honest and objective as possible. The questionnaire should take at most 15 minutes to complete. Very many thanks. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments. Send your comments by email to email@example.com, and put the word "Survey" in the subject line. Stuart Watt School of Computing The Robert Gordon University St. Andrew Street Aberdeen. AB25 1HG Section A. Background questions Q1. What School are you studying in? (Please select one) School of Life Sciences School of Applied Social Studies School of Health Sciences School of Nursing and Midwifery School of Pharmacy Aberdeen Business School School of Engineering Gray's School of Art The Scott Sutherland School School of Computing Q2. What year of study are you at? (Please select one) 1 2 3 40 APPENDIX A. STUDENT SURVEY 4 5 Masters PhD Q3. How old are you? (Please select one) 19 or less 20 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 or more Section B. University support and facilities Q4. Which sessions do you feel you learn from most? (Please rate each one with a number between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest) Lectures Laboratory classes Courseworks Examinations Seminars Independent project work Group project work Independent (e.g., library based) study Other (please specify: ) Q5. Which learning environments do you feel you benefit from most? (Please rate each one with a number between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest) Please rate each type of learning environment according to how you gain from it now, and how you see future students in 2020 gaining from it. In the Now future Laboratories Lectures Tutorials 41 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Studios The Library Virtual (e.g., the iNet, Virtual Campus) The Internet Other (please specify: ) Q6. Which learning materials do you use most? (Please rate each one with a number between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest) Please rate each type of learning material according to how you use it now, and how you see future students in 2020 using it. In the Now future Bought books Borrowed (e.g., library) books Lecture notes The Library Journals Electronic materials (e.g., the iNet, Virtual Campus) Internet materials (e.g., from outside the University) Other (please specify: ) Q7. Which kinds of communication tools do you use as part of your learning? (Please select all that apply) Please select the types of communication tool that you use now, and those you see future students using in 2020. In the Now future Email Web discussion groups Instant messaging Audio conferencing Video conferencing Mobile phones (e.g., SMS) Other (please specify: ) Q8. Which kinds of assessment do you gain from, and need more support with? (Please select all that apply) 42 APPENDIX A. STUDENT SURVEY Please select the types of assessment you gain from most now, and those you need more support with, to enable you to gain more. I gain most I need more from this now help with this Self assessment Group assessment Peer assessment Tutor assessment Examinations Essays Courseworks Lab-based assessments Crits Tutorials Other (please specify: ) Q9. How much time do you spend learning each week? (Please specify the number of hours) Please estimate how many hours you spend learning on and off campus today, and how might time you would expect future students in 2020 to spend learning on and off campus. In the Now future On campus Off campus Q10. What other facilities do you feel a University should provide in the future? Section C. Your opinions of learning Q11. Which skills do you feel University study provides you with most ? (Please rate each one with a number between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest) Please rate the types of skill according to how well University study provides it today, and how important you feel it will be to future students in 2020. In the Now future 43 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Knowledge and understanding (e.g., subject knowledge) Reasoning and thinking skills (e.g., ability to use subject to knowledge effectively) General "key" skills (e.g., literacy, numeracy) Professional skills (e.g., those specific to my discipline) "Learning how to learn" skills (e.g., reflection, independent learning) Other (please specify: ) Q12. Please indicate the strength of your agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements (Please select one for each statement) Strongly Strongly Disagree Agree disagree agree Online learning has the potential to greatly enhance my learning experience I believe that within five years at least half the students in RGU will study predominantly by online learning The majority of students straight from school can not learn effectively in a course delivered online Studying for a degree from home will become the norm within the next ten years I have no wish to study undergraduate courses through online learning Q13. Why are you studying? (Please select all that apply) For personal development For professional development To get a better job in the future To improve career prospects in my current job To change career General interest in the subject To complete an unfinished education I like studying for study sake Other If other, please specify: 44 APPENDIX B. STAFF SURVEY Section D. Other comments Q14. What can the institution do to improve your learning experience? Q15. Can you suggest any other new uses of technology that could enhance your learning experience? Q16. Any other comments Please use the space below to elaborate on any of your answers, comment on any aspect of your learning experience, studying or the course, or workplace support issues not covered by the questionnaire. Thank you very much for your participation. If you would like to receive a summarised copy of the results, please add your email address to the box below, and we will pass them on to you after the survey has been completed. Please keep me informed. My email address is: To return your questionnaire, please press the "Send Data" button below 45 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Appendix B. Staff survey About this questionnaire RGU has established a working group to look at the future of teaching and learning in the University. As part of the work of this group, we would like to find out about your opinions on the future of learning, both within RGU and beyond. Confidentiality is guaranteed. All data is recorded anonymously: you will not be identifiable at any stage. We are asking for your feedback for research purposes only, so we would be grateful if you could be as honest and objective as possible. The questionnaire should take at most 10 minutes to complete. Very many thanks. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments. Send your comments by email to email@example.com, and put the word "Survey" in the subject line. Stuart Watt School of Computing The Robert Gordon University St. Andrew Street Aberdeen. AB25 1HG Section A. For all staff Q1. What School or department are you based in? (Please select one) School of Life Sciences School of Applied Social Studies School of Health Sciences School of Nursing and Midwifery School of Pharmacy Aberdeen Business School School of Engineering Gray's School of Art The Scott Sutherland School School of Computing CELT Department of e-Learning (DeL) The Library Information Technology Services (ITS) Centre for Student Access 46 APPENDIX B. STAFF SURVEY Other (please specify: ) First of all, we are interested in any suggestions you may have for ways of improving teaching and learning in RGU. Q2. What could the institution do to improve students' learning experience? Q3. What could the institution do to better enable staff to deliver effective teaching and learning? Q4. Can you suggest any new uses of technology that could enhance students' learning experience? If you are involved in student teaching and learning, we would like to ask you a few more questions about your opinions of how this may change in the future, so please continue the survey. If you are not directly involved in student teaching and learning, please feel free to skip to the last part of this survey and make any final comments before returning your feedback. Skip to the last part of the survey Section B. University support and facilities Q5. Which sessions do you feel your students learn from most? (Please rate each one with a number between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest) Lectures Laboratory classes Courseworks Examinations Seminars 47 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Independent project work Group project work Independent (e.g., library based) study Other (please specify: ) Q6. Which learning environments do you feel your students benefit from most? (Please rate each one with a number between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest) Please rate each type of learning environment according to how your students gain from it now, and how you see future students in 2020 gaining from it. In the Now future Laboratories Lectures Tutorials Studios The Library Virtual (e.g., the iNet, Virtual Campus) The Internet Other (please specify: ) Q7. Which teaching materials do you use most? (Please rate each one with a number between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest) Please rate each type of teaching material according to how students use it now, and how you see future students in 2020 using it. In the Now future Bought books Borrowed (e.g., library) books Lecture notes The Library Journals Electronic materials (e.g., the iNet, Virtual Campus) Internet materials (e.g., from outside the University) Other (please specify: ) Q8. Which kinds of communication tools do you use as part of your teaching? (Please select all that apply) 48 APPENDIX B. STAFF SURVEY Please select the types of communication tool that you use now with your students, and those you see yourself using with future students in 2020. In the Now future Email Web discussion groups Instant messaging Audio conferencing Video conferencing Mobile phones (e.g., SMS) Other (please specify: ) Q9. Which kinds of assessment do you use now, and need more support with? (Please select all that apply) Please select the types of assessment you use most now, and those you need more support with, to enable your students to gain more from. I use this I need more now help with this Self assessment Group assessment Peer assessment Tutor assessment Examinations Essays Courseworks Lab-based assessments Crits Tutorials Other (please specify: ) Q10. How much time will students spend learning each week? (Please specify the number of hours) Please estimate how many hours you expect students to spend on their studies, on campus (in and out of formal tutor-led teaching situations), and in other study off campus. on and off campus today, and how might time you would expect future students in 2020 to spend learning on and off campus. In the Now future On campus - tutor-led teaching and learning 49 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Non-tutor-led study on campus Other study off campus Q11. How much time will you spend teaching each week? (Please specify the number of hours) Please estimate how many hours you expect to spend on teaching on and off campus today, and how might time you would expect to spend teaching in 2020, on campus. In the Now future On campus teaching (e.g., classes) Off campus teaching (e.g., work at home) Q12. What other facilities do you feel a University should provide in the future? Section C. Your opinions of learning Q13. Which skills do you feel University study provides students with most? (Please rate each one with a number between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest) Please rate the types of skill according to how well University study provides it today, and how important you feel it will be to future students in 2020. In the Now future Knowledge and understanding (e.g., subject knowledge) Reasoning and thinking skills (e.g., ability to use subject to knowledge effectively) General "key" skills (e.g., literacy, numeracy) Professional skills (e.g., those specific to my discipline) "Learning how to learn" skills (e.g., reflection, independent learning) Other (please specify: ) Q14. What factors do you identify as being the greatest obstacles to your making more use of online learning in your courses? (Please rate each one with a number between 1 and 10, 10 being the highest) 50 APPENDIX B. STAFF SURVEY Insufficient knowledge of authoring packages Insufficient knowledge of the iNet / Virtual Campus Not enough time to develop effective resources Unreliability of IT provision Limitations of the medium for teaching in my discipline Perceived resistance from the learners Other (please specify: ) Q15. Please indicate the strength of your agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements (Please select one for each statement) Strongly Disagree Agree Strongly disagree agree Online learning has the potential to greatly enhance the students' learning experience I do not perceive online learning as a threat I believe that within five years at least half of our students will study predominantly by online learning The majority of students straight from school could not learn effectively in a course delivered online If we do not offer courses online we will lose market to other universities which do Studying for a degree from home will become the norm within the next ten years I have no wish to deliver undergraduate courses through online learning Section D. Other comments Q16. Any other comments Please use the space below to elaborate on any of your answers, comment on any aspect of your experience or workplace support issues not covered by the questionnaire. 51 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Thank you very much for your participation. If you would like to receive a summarised copy of the results, please add your email address to the box below, and we will pass them on to you after the survey has been completed. Please keep me informed. My email address is: To return your questionnaire, please press the "Send Data" button below 52 APPENDIX C. STUDENT SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Appendix C. Student survey – detailed quantitative analysis Total number of responses: 867; from a sample size of #. Q1. What School are you studying in? Responses by School 300 250 200 150 100 Count 50 Ab Ap N ur P er E pl Sc Hie d si h den Li ea S ng a ot C Su 0 fe en n l thoc t om th gi anrma GB e Sc Scal pu erla ra sri d cy e ie u i y 'in g M ie Stu tin nd nc sne nc d id g es w ss esi i fe Sc r School Responses by Faculty 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 Count 0 Health & Social Care Business School Design & Technology Faculty 53 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Q2. What year of study are you at? Responses for each year of study 300 250 200 150 100 50 Count 0 1 2 3 4 5 Masters PhD Year of study Q3. How old are you? 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 Count 0 19 or less 20 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 or more Age Q4. Which sessions do you feel you learn from most? 54 APPENDIX C. STUDENT SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS This question asked students to rate each type of session between 1 and 10 according to how much they learned from it. Which sessions do you learn from most 7.5 7.0 6.5 6.0 5.5 Mean In Li G de br ro ar pe up Ex La C y 5.0 ou nd Se atio Le am bo pr ba rs en oj m ns ct ra se in ew ec ur tp in to d ar es tw or ri e ro st s ks ud je s or ct k y This evidence seems to indicate that lectures (perhaps surprisingly) are regarded as delivering by students. Other learning sessions – and in particular, examinations, seminars, laboratories, and group projects – perhaps deserve greater attention in future. A closer look by faculty (below) showed some important differences between discipline areas. Although generally teaching methods not used in a discipline area were given a low rating, there are still some important patterns. Examinations are not seen as benefiting students in any discipline area. 55 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Mean rating 8.0 7.5 7.0 6.5 Faculty Mean Rating 6.0 Health & Social Care 5.5 Business School In Li G nde de br ro ar pe u p nt p Ex La C y 5.0 Design & Technology ou Se i na Le rato am bo pr roj ba rs oj m tio c t ri e se ew ec ct ur s in n s d ar es tw or st s ks ud or e k y Learning environment Other study sessions that students mentioned they benefited from included: Work placement Clinical Placement conferences article reading Group revision sessions with friends studio work tutorials with support from staff meeting with supervisor intranet lecture/tutorial combined based class similar to college/school where you are taught the theory/background for a proportion of the session then put into practise with example questions/exercises Supervisory sessions resource classes visits to hospitals/clinics from class mates Practical classes Self Study clinical Areas group study period re-examing tutorial etc presentation EBL electronic examination practice kitchen practicals tutor talks in seminars related work/projects at home intranet on line facility F.E. discussions out of class independent research www 56 APPENDIX C. STUDENT SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Group Interaction essays practical classes Research Papers writing home work Internet search workshops Contact with industry personnel student interaction experience in work environment Problem based learning Networking with professionals Tutorials when the exams are based on the tutorials (and they usually are) are best for learning because once you can do the tutorial, you 'know it'. videos/interviews Interactive (small sized, in terms of number of students) tutorials PhD student . Question does not apply Interactive (small sized, in terms of number of students) tutorials former pupil lectures Industry Practitioner Lectures field projects Lecturer's feedback VC lectures Online (Focussed Mailing Lists) computer aided learning packages Intensive lock-in practitioner-led workshops Talking with other students & lecturers informally Class Discussions Student Club resourse classes Research Student Talking with colleagues WEB RESEARCH, QUIZZING THOSE IN RELATED FIELD Discussion with Colleagues field trips interaction and imformation exchange with other students Skills lab self study peer support online studying, perception etc Q5. Which learning environments do you feel you benefit from most? This question asked students to rate each type of learning environment between 1 and 10 according to how much they benefited from it. 57 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Mean rating 9 8 7 6 Mean Rating When 5 Now 4 In the future Laboratories Tutorials The Library The Internet Lectures Studios Virtual Learning environment Here, most learning environments showed little change, although there was evidence of a significant growth in the use of laboratories, studios, Virtual and Internet resources. These were confirmed by a series of one-way ANOVA tests – these changes were all significant at the p < 0.001 level or less. As expected, again there were big differences between the faculties and Schools in their use of these different learning environments. Other learning environments students mentioned that they benefited from included: On-line database of professioanl socities supervisor direction Other University Libraries work placements clinical placements interaction with other students at home projects Combined lecture/tutorial 'super class' like college/school Studio practice Supervision self study Lab discussions with other students practice other students Data Bases - Cihnal Research Journals/Papers interactive programs personal tutor Group Projects student interaction experiential learning 58 APPENDIX C. STUDENT SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Networking Discussion Groups (Online mainly due to ease of access, scope for input and free anonymous dialogue. interviewing online journals and academic texts Site Visits and industry practitioner lectures Cafeteria! No, seriously. Class Discussions Private study access to nursing journals in the workplace journals Seminars skills lab discussion forum discussion with course-mates peer support study groups Q6. Which learning materials do you use most? This question asked students to rate each type of learning material between 1 and 10 according to how much they used it. Mean rating 9.0 8.5 8.0 7.5 7.0 6.5 Mean Rating 6.0 When 5.5 Now 5.0 In the future Bought books Lecture notes Journals Internet materials Borrow ed books The Library Electronic materials Learning materials There was strong evidence of significant change more or less across the board in learners" expected use of materials. Only use of the library was expected to remain unchanged. There was a trend to a downward change in use of lecture notes. Significant changes were found in all other types of learning materials, some increasing, with others decreasing, all at p << 0.001. 59 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Mean rating 8.5 8.0 7.5 7.0 6.5 Faculty 6.0 Mean Rating Health & Social Care 5.5 Business School 5.0 El In ec Bo te Bo Le ed b tro Th not rr rn 4.5 Design & Technology ct ug ow J o ra r ni et ter e ur oo k c ht ur y Li m e m na b bo at l s a er ls ok es ia ia s ls s Learning materials Again, there are important differences in the use of the different types of learning materials between the different discipline areas. Other materials that students mentioned they used in their studies included: On-line database of professional societies data collected by self FRENCH DOCUMENTS Borrowed books interactive programs other students views experiential learning Networking database papers interviewing art materials access to library resources from the net (read content of book etc...) Online (Web based Contents and Mailing Lists) TV, OTHER PEOPLE Media NEWSPAPERS related TV programs tutorial sheets + solutions would use library more if there would be enough books material found by classmates Q7. Which kinds of communication tools do you use as part of your learning? Participants were asked which types of communications tools they used as part of their learning, both now and in the future. They could choose to select as many as they wished. Here, email was the big winner – already used by 85% of students, and expected to rise to 60 APPENDIX C. STUDENT SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS 91% in the future. Also expected to rise – and even more dramatically – were the web and video conferencing and communication. Other media were expected to fall in use – these included instant messaging and audio conferencing. Only mobile phone use is not expected, by students at least, to increase significantly in the future. Apart from this, all media showed a significant change in one direction or the other. Percentage of responses 100 80 60 40 When 20 Now Au Vi In de st di M an o o ob ren 0 In the future co co tm i le Em nf nf W es ph ng er e eb ai sa en on l gi ci ci es ng ng Medium of communication Other kinds of communication medium mentioned by students included: phone, discussions with friends Face to face Writing letters networking e.g. conferences lectures on disc Group Meetings eg study sessions Self study talking to other students notes in pigeon holes Ad-hoc Group Meetings writing portable laptop computers iNet drop-in sessions experiential learning Tutor, colleagues none Computer Baised Training modules meeting people, visiting places The as yet uninvented thing that will make multimedia conferencing painless peer group Power point 61 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Q8. Which kinds of assessment do you gain from, and need more support with? Participants were asked which kinds of assessment they gained most from now, and which they felt that they needed more support with. Percentage of responses 80 70 60 50 40 30 Mean Rating When 20 I gain from this 10 Ex C 0 I need more support La se w ou Tu am Es G bC o Tu r Pe p to Se -b rk ro isn rias s ria aat to u er ts e lf y so r ls i ns d Kind of assessment Q9. How much time do you spend learning each week? Mean rating 24 20 16 When Now 12 In the future On campus Off campus Location of study 62 APPENDIX C. STUDENT SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Looking specifically at the expected number of study hours in the future, there are some clear differences between the discipline areas. Business students expect to spend fewer hours studying on campus in the future compared to other disciplines. Mean rating 40 38 36 34 Faculty 32 Health & Social Care 30 Business School 28 Design & Technology Now In the future When Finally, there is some evidence of an "I will work harder in the future" effect – looking at the estimated total number of study hours, in all discipline areas there was clear evidence that students expected to study for more hours per week in the future. Interestingly, the total number of hours was consistently lower in the Business School than in the other discipline areas. Q11. Which skills do you feel University study provides you with most ? This question asked students to rate each type of skills between 1 and 10 according to how much they felt University study helped them build that type of skill. Again, students seemed to expect more support in all skill areas in the future compared to the present. They also seemed to feel that key skills, and to a lesser extent reflective learning skills, were not as well developed by University study as knowledge and understanding, cognitive skills, and professional skills. The high weighting of professional skills is a positive indicator of our success and standing in this area. 63 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Mean rating 8.5 8.0 7.5 7.0 6.5 Mean Rating When 6.0 Now 5.5 In the future Know ledge and unders Key skills Learning to learn Cognitive Professional Skill type As elsewhere, there was evidence of differences between discipline areas. Mean rating 8.5 8.0 7.5 7.0 Faculty 6.5 Mean Rating Health & Social Care 6.0 Business School 5.5 Design & Technology Know ledge and unders Key skills Learning to learn Cognitive Professional Skill type Other skills that students felt University provided them with included: algebra (I'm rubbish at it) social skills Study support fight your own battle you and only yourself 64 APPENDIX C. STUDENT SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Interpersonal Skills General IT skills experiential learning research evidence based learning and practice The university exams for computing do not require independent learning at all - the only time I was forced to learn independently was on my work placement because nobody there had a clue. The reason one doesn't have to learn independently at RGU is because the lecturers will answer any question (about their subject) that you ask them. You are NEVER told to learn it for yourself, they will tell you everything you want to know. This is not necessarily a good or a bad thing. common sense Group Communication computer skills support for older students on basic electronic skills networking with classmates Q12. Please indicate the strength of your agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements We asked students to express the extent to which they would agree to each of the following statements. This showed again that there is a wide acknowledgement that online technologies have the potential to enhance learning, but in most other statements, there was no clear consensus (among students) from any likely change. Percentage who agreed or strongly agreed Online learning has the potential to greatly enhance my learning 71% experience I believe that within five years at least half the students in RGU will 53% study predominantly by online learning The majority of students straight from school can not learn effectively 57% in a course delivered online Studying for a degree from home will become the norm within the 41% next ten years I have no wish to study undergraduate courses through online learning 48% Q13. Why are you studying? Participants were also asked to say what their reasons for studying were – in this case they were able to choose as many reasons as they liked. By far the majority of students were studying for personal or professional reasons of one kind or another, as shown in the following chart. 65 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Percentage of responses 80 60 40 20 Pe Im Pr St C rs pr of ud om G G o Cv e on es o en y ha ca pl et na 0 al si fo er et ng re a ld rs de al e be e e er ed tu ve in tte ve ca pr dy te lo uc re os r j lop re s pm at er p ob sa st io en k n t Reason for studying Other reasons participants gave for studying included: I want to achieve my full potential To improve english language skills to ensure i earn i high wage in the future not ready for a job just yet to improve job prospects in the future Because it's expected Ambition to be inspired, learn about oppurtunities within a subject, talk to lecturers well versed in the subject blunder mistake To follow my lifelong dream of becoming a midwife so I can become a biological scientist and so offer me a better career in life I have no idea what I want for a career, but the course falls into some of my stronger skills had to do something after leaving school, didn't fancy full time employment straight up To get more life experience always wanted to become a nurse to gain a degree I have to if I want to do physio to experience foreign life future career To make parents happy To become a qualified Nurse I have a disability, and my choices were limited it is a research job also next step from school Get a job that pays enough to let me do the things that are truly important To fulfil my ambition to study computing My children are aware of University because I attend. My parents didn't attend and maybe that is why I am a mature student instead of straight from school I always wanted to study pharmacy so this was my last chance to do so. 66 APPENDIX D. STAFF SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS enjoyment of subject to make my family proud To be qualified to do what i want to do! uni life, too young and not ready to get a full time job to challange the potential i may have Requirement of the job to get a career I want to see if I can create something new to be the best More money I like learning always wanted to do this because i want a degree To enter my chosen profession Apply it for goodness of human race better job and better pay to become an expert and make a difference in the education of others! To get my ideal job in order to get job Allow me to be a Social Worker Exposure to a different environment and culture as well as to make friends. only way to obtain a district nurse post, so no option but to do a degree course Future research & consultancy Didnt know what else to do when i left school... Good Money from good job To get far in my career i love the subject 67 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Appendix D. Staff survey – detailed quantitative analysis Q1. What School or department are you based in? Responses by Faculty 50 40 30 20 10 Count 0 Health & Social Care Design & Technology Business School Other Faculty Q5. Which sessions do you feel your students learn from most? Comparison of staff and student attitudes to sessions 7.5 7 6.5 Mean rating 6 Staff 5.5 Student 5 4.5 4 rk s s k es s ns y r ie rk or ar ud wo ur io tw wo in to st at ct m ct ra se ec Le d in Se je bo se am ur oj ro La ba pr Co tp Ex up y en ar ro nd br G pe Li de In Of these, the differences in attitudes to examinations, lectures, and library-based study are all strongly statistically significant (ANOVA tests, in all cases p < 0.01). 68 APPENDIX D. STAFF SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Q6. Which learning environments do you feel your students benefit from most? Mean rating 7.5 7.0 6.5 6.0 5.5 Mean Rating When 5.0 Now 4.5 In the future Laboratories Tutorials The Library The Internet Lectures Studios Virtual Learning environment Of these, the differences in virtual and internet materials are all strongly statistically significant (ANOVA tests, in all cases p < 0.01). Mean rating 9 8 7 6 Faculty 5 Mean Rating Health & Social Care 4 Business School 3 Design & Technology Laboratories Tutorials The Library The Internet Lectures Studios Virtual Learning environment 69 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Q7. Which teaching materials do you use most? Mean rating 8.0 7.5 7.0 6.5 6.0 5.5 Mean Rating 5.0 When 4.5 Now 4.0 In the future Bought books Lecture notes Journals Internet materials Borrow ed books The Library Electronic materials Learning materials Of these, the differences in bought books, lecture notes, electronic and virtual materials are all statistically significant (ANOVA tests, in all cases p < 0.05). Mean rating 9 8 7 6 Faculty Mean Rating 5 Health & Social Care 4 Business School El In ec Bo te Bo Le d b tro Th rr rn 3 Design & Technology ct ug ow Jo ni et ter e ur c ht ur y Li e m e m na br bo at l s no a ar er ls oo ok te ia s ia s ks ls Learning materials 70 APPENDIX D. STAFF SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Q8. Which kinds of communication tools do you use as part of your teaching? In almost all respects, the pattern for staff is very similar to the pattern for students. Email dominates now, with a significant expected increase in web communication to almost the same level. Instant messaging and audio conferencing are expected to fall, and video conferencing and mobile phone use expected to increase. In all cases apart from email, there is a statistically significant change (ANOVA, p < 0.01). Percentage of responses 100.0 80.0 60.0 40.0 Mean Rating When 20.0 Now Au Vi In de st di M an o o ob re 0.0 In the future co co tm i le nc Em nf nf W es ph ing er e eb ai sa en on l gi ci es ng ng Medium of communication Q9. Which kinds of assessment do you use now, and need more support with? Staff were asked which kinds of assessment they used now, and which they needed more support with in the future. 71 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Percentage of responses 100.0 80.0 60.0 40.0 Mean Rating When 20.0 Ex I gain from this C 0.0 I need more support La rse ou Tu am Es G bC wo Tu Pe p to Se -b r ro isn rias k s ria aat to u er ts e lf y so r ls i ns d Kind of assessment Q10. How much time will students spend learning each week? Mean number of hours 24 22 20 18 16 14 Hours per week 12 When 10 Now 8 In the future On campus Off campus Location of study 72 APPENDIX D. STAFF SURVEY – DETAILED QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS Mean total study hours 50 40 30 Faculty Hours per week 20 Health & Social Care Business School 10 Design & Technology Now In the future Q11. How much time will you spend teaching each week? Mean rating 30.0 28.0 26.0 24.0 22.0 20.0 Faculty 18.0 Health & Social Care 16.0 Business School 14.0 Design & Technology Now In the future When Q13. Which skills do you feel University study provides students with most? 73 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Mean rating 8.5 8.0 7.5 7.0 6.5 Mean Rating 6.0 When 5.5 Now 5.0 In the future Know ledge and unders Key skills Learning to learn Cognitive Professional Skill type Of these, the differences in cognitive skills, key skills, and especially in reflective learning skills are all statistically significant (ANOVA tests, in all cases p < 0.05). The others show no evidence even of a trend in the future. Mean rating 8.5 8.0 7.5 7.0 Faculty 6.5 Mean Rating Health & Social Care 6.0 Business School 5.5 Design & Technology Know ledge and unders Key skills Learning to learn Cognitive Professional Skill type Q14. What factors do you identify as being the greatest obstacles to your making more use of online learning in your courses? 74 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Obstacles to online learning 9 8 7 Mean rating 6 Health & Social Care Business School 5 Design & Technology 4 3 2 Know ledge Know ledge Resistance Limitations Not enough Unreliability of of iNet/VC from of medium time of IT authoring learners pkgs Of these, only resistance from learners showed any evidence of a difference between discipline areas. Overall, the two most highly rated factors were lack of time and unreliability of IT provision. Q15. Please indicate the strength of your agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements Percentage who agreed or strongly agreed Online learning has the potential to greatly enhance the students' 64% learning experience I do not perceive online learning as a threat 84% I believe that within five years at least half of our students will study 28% predominantly by online learning The majority of students straight from school could not learn 55% effectively in a course delivered online If we do not offer courses online we will lose market to other 58% universities which do Studying for a degree from home will become the norm within the 19% next ten years I have no wish to deliver undergraduate courses through online 31% learning 75 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Appendix E. Student survey – open-ended comments Verbatim comments follow, here and throughout all non-committal responses (e.g., "No idea", "No", "None", etc.) have been removed for brevity. All others are included unchanged. Q10. What other facilities do you feel a University should provide in the future? The furniture is falling to bits and is, in some cases, very uncomfortable. I think the university's HSE advisor needs to look into this problem. Wider access to on-line journals, essential not just for research but for showing students what cutting edge research is taking place and enabling them to learn more widely in their field. More informal spaces - cafe style place with computers - to chill out and work in. More up to date computers for PhD research, not 'hand me downs' and improved office accommodation - difficult to do research in a 'stagnant' environment where no one wants to be. Learning has an emotional and creative side - need facilities to foster and reflect this too. Physical learning environments are every bit as important as virtual learning environments. I have felt that a sports centre should have been created a long time before now. However I am glad to see the complex is nearing completion and will allow future students time to escape their academic stresses at a cut price in comparison to high street gyms. Academically, i feel the majority of computers in the faculty of Design and Technology need serious upgrading given that the computers in the the faculty of Health and Social Care are of excellent standard. 1.Research-based laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art equipments. 2.Higher degree of colaboration with students from outside the city and university 3. Subsribing to on-line library of professioanl institution(s) better parkig for the students A library in the Scott Sutherland School with books relating to construction would be handy. It would be better than getting soaked in the rain everytime we want a book Wireless networks It should provide facilities which are upto date with current technology and should accept these new technologies as learning tools more quickly. Video conferencing update computer and stable broadband Being able to access the sharded drive from any computer. i.e from home practical learning exposure -more money to be given so that more experienced tutors can be employed, (ie from the industry itself.) -getting students from different areas of the school to interact with each other more. -having all different years in each course involved in other projects. again, better interaction with all years in the course. -not excluding any course away form its main school, keeping everyone together. -more help finding employment after completing the course. -i feel that i am sometimes not learning as much as i ought to. i personally feel that the 76 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS average university day is not long enough and feel that we should be in there more hours than we are timetabled for at the moment. as i do work at home i dont feel as bad however i would be much happier if there was a tutor onhand constantly for us to discuss things with. again more tutors are needed for this to be possible. -plenty more job placement opportunities. -more live briefs, possible cash incentives would help too. -more scope for placements abroad, quite limited at present, especially for my particular course I think more focus should be on group assessments and group learning, with a clearer emphasis on what each assessment within in each topic aims to evaluate. Better conditions for students to work in, i.e. good air condition and ventilation so that laboratories and lecture rooms are not too hot Better facilities at campus for learning - more computers, information available for learning STATE OF THE ART STUDIOS WITH PERSONAL COMPUTERS FOR EACH STUDENT ! NO MORE NOTE PADS AND WHITE BOARDS More training opportunities ie: workshops,training weeks etc improve the current library service since many journal papers cannot be borrowed immediately, which are important for a research student water More help with referencing for college students going straight into 3rd year!!!!!! More help with essay writing for college students going to 3rd year!!!!!!!! Not enough beiing done to help wireless internet; more and various types of sport activities; have a separate office in the campus to organise and promote charity events; set up a special department to promote written and oral communication, presentation skills by organising teaching workshop in the weekend (Saturday) as most students will have time to attend then. The role of the library needs to be taken very seriously in the future - it would be all to easy to end up with a situation where people are expected to get all information online, etc.. Whilst more and more information will be freely available through open source journals, etc.., it is still important that there are places for people to read and contemplate away from a compute screen. As a comment specific to this usinversity, the social facilities for both staff and students are pathetic - the wholesale outsourcing of such facilities via competetive tendering processes has left this and I am sure many other universities with a complete lack of informal space that people might want to use, as opposed to using the spaces provided (thereby creating the necessary usage statistics to justify their retention) due to a lack of any real alternatives. People learn by talking to other people - to do this requires an environment conducive to talking - not simply an environment designed around either the architecture of the building or the available space. Some of the best learning environments are the most surprising, and often the least expensive! should be more flexibility on purchasing of e-journal licences, so that students from other universities can use on walk-in basis. better food study links to other universities / business schools more electronic journals electronic access to core text books investigate exams system via iNet 77 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 electronic submission of official coursework assignments rather than paper copies should be more flexibility on purchasing of e-journal licences, so that students from other universities can use on walk-in basis. LONGER OPENING HOURS 24 hour computer rooms like Aberdeen University Internet connection in halls Access to software via login either from on campus or off which becomes no functional when you log off or leave the university network. Additional open classrooms during the weekend so groups can meet in a neutral place. Everything they have at the current time, which includes as up t date and cutting edge technology to save from teaching students out dated topics. Possibly more hands on in certain lectures when it comes to hardware, showing examples of the technology rather than just discussing it. Laptop users should be capable of connecting to the university network, and use that connection as the cimputers provided by the university would allow. A seriuos connection with the outside environment to help students to find a good job in a short time. Education should be aimed to a real profession and university should realistically and actvilly help students to find their position in the society. greater access and opportunities to work experience earlier in the course. An on-line, up to date, all inclusive information board. What I mean is a simplyfied version of the existing ones with more frequent updating on information in it. a larger library than RGU have got already - with more electronic learning help with banking/finance for foreign student Less lectures, they don't have an impact. even the lecturers say you only take it about 10% of what you are being told. need more tutorials, smaller classes. more one-to-one, personal tutors who make an effort. Information on web based materials, such as relevant study websites from outside the university. asessment through computers More regular feedback on work handed in. Gym, modern Lab (24hrs), student pub Improved e-learing capabilities for Distance Learning students - inc. making the courses fully electronic-based (e.g. returning of marked assignments via e-mail, not on paper). Free printing as most modules now require you download notes, print them and bring them to the lecture. Students already pay course fees - £10 free printing a year is nothing compared to a minimum £1205 in course fees. In the future when funds become available, more technology for individuals to support learning. Such as a pilot program in the US where a well known university gave all fresher a 40GB iPod loaded with uni data (calendar, course materials, etc) for free. Or other well known American universities which give students free PDA's to support their learning. Their course fees are comperable to RGU's in some cases, and they don't waste their money on sports centres which charge more than Aberdeens most expensive gyms! 78 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Access to more online journals as I have had big problems trying to get hold of a wide enough range of journals for my project as the university and Aberdeen University did not stock enough of the journals that I needed. virtual private network to H drive and university based applications would be very nice - it was implemented in my last place of work - by me !! Better facilities for all courses i.e. better kitchen and restaurant learning areas such as Kepplestone had. Modern technology. Consistency between lecturers / tutors. Sports facilities, a comfortable communial area Access to network facilities off campus. i.e. H drive and network software. there is definately a need for a sports facility but that is in the process of being built. I can't think of anything else the uni needs to supply. I think it's fine as it is. More support for students in the form of a guidance teacher. more quiet rooms in order to concentrate more, without computers just desks and a strict no speaking policy keep computer facilities and lectures for listening skills. Large scale ongoing project oppurtunities for students (not just what is needed i.e. 4th yr project). More choice on your stdy timetable, ability to take additional units, complete modules earlier, work over summers or just take shorter holidays etc. Gym, Pool and 24hr access to the Univesity Labs student facilities for eating / chatting so that computer labs and library are free for those studying to do so in peace An oranised way for students to get together and revise for exams in groups. If it was arranged by the Uni it would not turn into more of a party and more work would be done! Access to much of the material is only available on campus such as the i-net and it can be a logistical nightmare for me to access some information even a small piece of knowledge for some subjects. I would like to access this from my own home. More accomodation on campus Easier timetables to read Learning material and lecture notes on line. Assessment tests to help rememeber what you have learnt I thnk the university of the future will be mostly i-net based, with virtual tutors running online classes which can be accessed continuously daily...so you can pop in and out when you need info and when it suits you, as well as online continual assessments 24hr access to computer facilites More facilities to allow study at home. cheaper food, free car parking for students, more IT facilities, more core text books, Internet based home study option. video linked teaching. a change machine to get pound coins out of when you need them for the printer. No separate lecture and tutorials - a combined class is preferable where the student 79 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 assimilates the background knowledge and then implements it through practise questions/exercises/class assessments. More books availabe from the library. More laboratory activities. Good computing facilities and good areas within hte university for both private and group study. a creche, better standards of information technology WORKING GROUP FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT WHO NEED HELP TO CORRECT COURSEWORKS I FEEL IT WOULD A GREAT BENEFIT TO GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THE MARKED PERFORMANCE OF EXAMS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN. THAIS WOULD BE VERY HELPFULL IN SEEING WHERE THE PROBLEMS ARE IN ANSWERING QUESTIONS Easier access to equipment, such as digital cameras, memory sticks, video cameras...not every student can afford these things and it would be helpful if they were readily available in the university. I don't think any more is really needed Wireless networking to allow students to access the web wherever they are on campus. As more students get laptops and hand held devices become more utilized it would help not to have to go to the library or computer suite to access online facilities - information at your fingertips on demand. Better parking facilities for part time post grad students in full time employment Sufficient number of up to date work stations for everyone. Better eating facilities More electronic material and materials available from the internet off campus. student selfstudy building More and faster computers I study with the RGU 15 years ago and returned to study just recently. I have seen IT technology unfold which has improved study at least from my perspective with readily available information posted to Campus site..For part time students like myself I would say that it would be worthwhile considering "Net Meeting" style lectures where the student can log onto a website and participate in lectures. Practicality of such service and loading of networks make this a little prohibitive at present. Web Broadcast could be considered as an alternative. 24 hour labs Possibly some kind of wireless MAN network such as the type edinburgh university has been trialing for a number of years now. The University should offer all students access to online journals and online libraries, eg. BJM. better student union more shuttle bus's wireless web access video streaming of lectures, so you can loggon to your PC at an allocated time for the lecture tobegin and then watch and replay bits that you don't understand. 80 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS I think the facilities here are excellent but perhaps more variety of food facilities and slightly less expensive. Future 24 hour library, computer lab and canteen facilities based on potential usage. The current facilitiies suffice much more than none. The library should be stocked with more current books and research materials to cater for the ever increasing change in information and student population. The business school, especially, must provide students with more robust statistical packages and thorough instruction on their applicability. Also arrangement for access to world renowned and resourceful business and finance journals should be considered DATABASES OF INFORMATION, INCLUDING GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT UNIVERSITY AND THE COURSE AS WELL AS GOOD ACCESS TO ACADEMIC INFO. One-to-one support for part-time students new to university. These students have no idea of what is an acceptable level of coursework, etc One-to-one support for part-time students new to university. These students have no idea of what is an acceptable level of coursework, etc interactive classes/tutorials Just more computers because you can nevcer get on one when you need to. group work with the students in the year above to learn from, they could give advice on coursework and exams. it would benift both years. More labs, and generally more project work and less exams. I believe that will help students get in touch with the object of their study and understant the nature of it. Exams surelly play an important role in uni but I believe that what student's are lucking is practice and real nature of the proffesion that they have chosen. I think they should provide extra classes that help students with their modules to help them understand it better maybe away from the rest of the class on a one to one basis as i feel i have problems understanding some of the european law but cannot find anyone within the university to help me. Proper Canteen facility and must be reasonable prices more digitised texts as they easier to find relevant information in The only things i can criticise the university is about the lectures. i think their should be more tutorials/ seminars and less lectures. More information resources available online - perhaps in the future an online library Longer site opennng hours; improve bus cervice, especially during weekend; sport facilities, and etc. Free parking for students or at least cheaper facilities than £130 per year. Almost 24 hours access to appropriate learning materials/support from University via internet. I feel that the food could be alot better UP TO DATE THECHNOLOGY University should deliver for what it is getting fees. Instant messaging services within the university, so you could see when your fellow classmates are online or other students on the same course and would allow you to ask questions and create discussion. I believe this would be very effective, and much quicker 81 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 than email. also you should be able to request a short Q&A session with a lecturer via this method possibly. More tutorial meetings. Better access and feedback after assessments. Especially in honours year so that you have a more comprehensive view of your progress throughout the year. they should have more computers available . it is impossible to get a computer when they also use them for IT classes. They need more than 1 pohoto copier in the health & fauclty building . it is a bit of a joke for the amount of nursing students. more sports facilities, a wider range. more facilities for between lectures with somewhere comfortable to sit BETTER COMMUNICATION FROM THE TUTORS AS THERE IS NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM SUBMISSION OF PORTFOLIO WORK TO THE UNI TO THE STUDENTS ON DISTANCE LEARNING COURSES.A SIMPLE E-MAIL WOULD DO NICELY. A decent art school, ie the porta-cabins. Try improving upon your existing buildings before spending millions and millions on an impressive but over priced eye-sore. Does the university really care about their students or just getting more applications? More parking and making it free. Less uni time, more hands on. more facilitys for part time evening students to have tutorial contact with tutor,s More facilities for printing and photocoping, more open areas for taking a break during studying and provide an area for eating so dont have to leave the bulding and disrupting your study for a break. Communities group through phone communications. Mouth to mouth discussion between lecturers and students; and also between students from one faculty and another. sport centre More facilities for laptop users - a portable inet ie one that users can 'plug' into more help from lecturers. More help on exam techniques and better preparation for exams, if time is available a little one to one time with tutors of specific modules. Better support for distant learning courses and access to personal tutors.Just a little guidance would help instead of being told it is self directed learning to then discover the direction taken does not fit in to the narrow path choosen by the markers who are obviously looking for something specific and we are to be able to mind read. More silent areas in library university needs to supply classes, where the mature student, can learn the mathematical skills that they did not have years ago, especially the new formula's for drug administration. Younger students need more interaction with clinical placements as that's where the true learning begins. Also more than three quarters of an hour to learn about computer skills (IT). revision/extra tutorial groups for subjects people find harder to understand and may not be coping with. TESOL Access courses to further education (e.g postgraduate courses such as pgde)that require equivelent G.C.S.E/Higher Mathematics and English should be made available as short/summer/evening classes so the qualification can be obtained. 82 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS more help for students with children library or self study area for each building. More Electronic study library or self study area for each building. More Electronic study I feel that engineering students would gain from an engineering student support where you can pop in and get help, a dedicated area Labs would be more effective if more staff were available to help students. Often only one member of staff is there which means groups of students sit and do nothing for long periods of time until the lecturer can see them. look forward to sports centre Better cantine facilities, students would stay on campus more for both social and learning purposes. more library books, much more help if you r a direct entrant student, more information on who, what where should you require help Open more doors for the students.Students in the future will be willing to work harder at the same time get diverted easier with the latests technical gizmos. so they must be given more opportunities or problems, concerning their subjects, to deal with making them more sharp and interested in learning. im happpy libraries that are quiet, i find the library i use (garthdee) to be too noisy, i have to rely on the libary computing facilities to complette assignments. however i feel most times i am unable to as of the level of conversations taking place in the library. better meeting places, common rooms etc where we can spend time between lectures or doing group work, that isnt a lab. better facilities where all lecturers post information on the intranet. better leisure facilities. Lectures recorded and somehow available through intranet instead of just notes so that if a lecture is missed through illness or work commitment it could be referred to at a later date! An Inet with more of the lecture notes on it. Give students more guidence as to how to study and how to go about making study plans. to teach something and effectively evaluate what has been learned parking for students more self supported assessments throughout the year to ensure learning is maximsed more tutorials given by practicioners and service users - those who are living with the subject for real i feel that the university provides generally all needs of the students at the moment although due to its location there isnt much to do to relax between classes and time for study. although i expect the gym will supply this to an extent better menu in the canteen with cheaper prices Free laptop hire for coursework purposes, some people don't have hi-spec computers at home, and doing coursework at uni late at night is not practical. common rooms for students with drink/snack machines and up-to-date information on jobs 83 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 etc in room Great levels of direct contact with national and international colleagues. university should try to improve the library book strength as there are not enough books.also the i net should be open so that the students could audio and vidio chat with their parents and collegues and friends. Internet assessment package that students call view their results of assessment, instead of mailing that will cause to waste time and lose the mails. eLectures Suitable recreational areas within the campus buildings for students and postgrad's to meet & relax together, discuss their work and escape the unsuitable library conditions where students don't respect the study-time of other students, via means of chattering, using mobile telephones etc. Somewhere other than the restaurant areas on the campus. What about some of the staff common areas being openned up for post grads? Now that would create a great environment within the RGU campus. Perhaps it would then feel like a university and not an oil office building? You did ask for honesty, didn't you? EXPANSION OF THE INTRANET FOR ON LINE EXAMS I find it difficult to actually get to library, need 2 buses there and 2 back. Recall notification is a nightmare often the book is recalled before i have time to check it.Have much more books or e mail more info and joural info as it is the cutting edge of the field. Better car parking and once the gym is commissioned this will be an excellent facility help with students to own/hire and pc's at home and to have access to all software requirements at home at a reasonable cost. ( i.e ) MS OFFICE, C++ Builder, MathCad etc Practical art work is quite old fashioned in that students need to be on campus using facilities and developing ideas. With increased use of digital media in creating art and viewing art/transmission it is possible that more offcampus work could be done. Even with increased online learning, I believe that especially young students have neither the discipline or focus to work on their own and a great deal of social skills and teamwork, communication and interaction with tutors and other students would be lost. some sort of activities eg snooker, pool, keep fit more research based projects I do feel that there is a lack of photocopiers in the Faculty of heslth building, where ther is only one which is not functional most of the time. More Project rooms in the Library for group study increase in sports and recreation facilities more computers We should be able to get our exam results online like most universities. The printers should work all the time and also we need a the lecturers to make sure that if they want us to print off notes before class that they are actually available for us to do so. More web based coursework - continue to provide good quality labs for independent study. several small warm cafe areas rather than the cold bleak dining areas we have at present, that can be just as important as video conferencing! mORE COMPUTERS TO BE AVAILABLE A Virtual Lecturer, Who can make intelligent replies to questions and where the depth of 84 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS answer is dependent upon the leval of learning by the student. more comfortable areas to relax between studying, classes and lectures MORE RELAXING COMMUNAL AREAS Better access to lecturers. Garthdee isolates lecturers and students from one another. The design is very poor. more computer labs for internet access laptop loans for those who do not have computers at home More hands on labs, we had several really good labs working on car engines and gearboxes but then the university seemed to run out of steam. more computer labs in Garthdee. Online tutors Online counseling More computer software for research work. Longer library opening hours Meeting rooms that private study groups can meet in and use preferably having access to the internet and a projector. better canteen facilities at a more affordable prices! Maybe a room just for students to go in a study. proper canteen facilities(they took ours away)!!!!!!bigger car parks and reduced prices. better communication between staff They should provide a sports faicilty more access to help if needed. it should more widely available. Easier access to staff. Earlier information available about forthcoming semesters. i feel that as more students are using computers more and more for learning that the university should try to provide more computers where possible. Sufficent facilities available currently but must be maintained for the future. interactive course based software parking spaces free. more books core module books vital for each student group or work area. lab top skills core computing skills prior to start course not as part of course options more of them More books in the library and more up-to-date books. more classes on using the likes of Ovid and how to look up journals. more computers will be needed there should be more interaction between the course years, this would enable younger students to ask advice, re. subject selection etc. TO ENCOURAGE GROUP STUDIES WITH THE HELP OF LECTURES Perhaps, a sort of chat room on the i-net where students coulds log in and speak about their studies or course work in case people are having any problems. 85 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 more nuerology books. free sport facilities, free printing, More books on construction management. A variety of it will definately help me to get more knowledge and different idea of what's the construction world really is. Out of hours help. The basics ( decent canteen, bank, pub, shop on campus ) would be nice.... In the business school, there isn't really anywhere people can go just to hang out and chat. I think this is quite important. - all time accessable workshop (modell making) - all time accessable print and plot facility (after having detailed introduction and payed diposit) A Christian or scripture union. I only regret not starting one up myself but my time is nearly over in the university but if that was to start you would be amazed at the difference prayer could do this this place. More computers and quiter areas (like the 6th floor in the library) to study in. a bigger eating area/cantene More workshops etc on how to use the IT facilities already available more accurate timetable organisation Remote coursework submission. Remote access to uni computer programs/network. For Now, Nothing Study groups for students during reading weeks, including tutor support. Examinations can be very daunting and the option to join study groups, where students can exchange thoughts and ideas could be very beneficial. Also, if tutors are available to answer questions or help students with problems, this also would be very beneficial. This may already be available, but if so I am not aware of this. Also, in society today we rely heavily on the internet and IT communications for our educational purposes and I think personal or group support, where you are speaking directly to tutors and students has more of an impact. IT Communications are brilliant and can be accessed very speedily, however, I think we are losing touch with the personal element, where people are giving the support directly, not via a machine. Wireless internet access COMPULSORY WORK BASED PLACEMENTS AS THEIR IS A LOT TO GAIN FROM THIS More Specimen exam papers Video conferencing and reports from other countries and their policies etc computer based examinations, less of a dependency on hand written. Most people type as fast as they can write, saves good students being penalised for bad hand writing! Later night facilities for studying. Better, bigger leisure facilites, and canteens. Study groups for exam or coursework preparation, More of the recommended text books to be avaliable in the library, more internet access avaliable, more group interaction such as more tutorials and more vocational aspects and job preparation covered. 86 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Better list of internet resources, as there is too much rubbish out there to trawl through. Maybe working with other unis who provide the same course, determine whether there is a difference in what each are studying etc. placements More considerations for mature students ie childcare and timetabling more flexible for those with children. Dedicated staff should seek to ensure every student is never left alone like I was. Having a limited mental impairment disability, fellow students AVOIDED me and two lecturers had very little time for me. Isolation can be, and WAS very damaging; I would not wish that on anyone. More choices should be available for disabled students to join in small groups. For example, simple groups where disabled students are free to discuss their situations with other like-minded and/or disabled students. Feeling included rather than excluded can often make all the difference. Please be under no illusions how difficult it is for a student with a disability. Being amongst hundreds of other students, especially in the atrium or restaurant is crippling when you have no-one who is willing to talk, or cannot relate to you. It would be so easy to set up small groups, and there must be a number of students who are not as quick or smart as the average student. There appears to be a growing number of depressed people nationwide, and like me it's no joke. I have contemplated taking my own life whilst on this postgraduate course - purely because the university has little provision for students like me. Don't get me wrong though; I have attended one-to-one sessions with the disability sections. However what I, and many others I'm sure NEED is to be amongst others in group situations. All one-to-one contact does is exacerbate my own problems, thus making me feel even more helpless. Throughout my whole time I have felt very aware that students are just left to "sink or swim" Who is going to be accountable when the next RGU student takes his or her own life? Please read this through again, and think about the points I'm making. more detailed feedback on assessments and the ability to attend lectures via the interent or web (learning from home) More IT facilities to cater for increase in demand for online learning Better use of technology within lectures to enhance learning experience and make whats taught more memorable. school of engineering must be renovate as a business school in Garthdee Access to a greater varity of journals and if possible easier access to full journal articles on line. free car parking to encourage peolpe to attend lectures and to vist the libary Wifi network restaurant for students (Note: I am an answering this question in engineering point of view only as i am an engineering student) 1) Access to most of the company articles and materials. 2) Visits to industries + detailed study of the process they undertake. ( the visits must be for a week or 2 atleast) 3) Industrial interships & placements by the university as a part of study. so that the students are assessed on what they have learnt and they get guidence on what they have to look and observe in the industry. better canteen (cheaper healthy options as these are usually the most expensive) There is a lack of quiet study space in the library and elsewhere at the moment, it would be nice to see this increased. There are a lack of library books for the Law classes, this has not improved much over the 5 years I have been at uni, a few more core texts kept in 87 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 short loan would be very useful. The computer fercilities in St.Andrew Buidling need updating. Car parking, free printer paper. A student should be able to come into uni and not have to spend anymore money on top of what they have already paid. Also when any of the technicians are informed that the printer is out of paper i expect them to do something about it immediately or at least let me do it myself. Later opening hours. Open classrooms at night/weekend to allow for private study areas. Improve the computer hardware in areas it is required first, e.g. improve engineering computers before the computers in the school of art. i feel that a lot more should be put on the internet and more online assessments could be done The library facilities could be better. Poor selection of up to date books and number of books. Need to rely on electronic materials. lectures that are filmed with a web cam, then if a student could not make it in, they could watch from home via an i-net link. faster computers, printers, especially those in the library Better quality of lecturers. Better admission procedures so it's not just a case of whoever can pay the fees. Affordable education. better choice of fresh fruit and healthier meals in the restaurant. fitness centre when it opens. More computers to make it easier to work on campus where required and more refreshment areas for regular breaks. More colour printers in the library, there is only 6. For a university of its size that it quite pathetic. The students should be able to access their H Drive and the applications that are set up for each student to use. video conferences with lecturers group video conferences direct access to uni database from external. more electronic resourse so we can share the information althogh it just a book in liabrary. A proper canteen. Virtual lecture or virtial tutorial or virtual examination revision More examination tutoring in HOW to answer the examsination questions. Better travel arrangements to the university with student accomodation nearer to campuses. wireless connection to internet I think that the univercity accomodates all facilities have connections for lap tops possibly video conferencing with lecturers who are not always on the univwersity premises 88 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS a building where all classes are inside instead of portakabins so that there are no leakages; an art shop inside the art college that students can go inside and look at the materials like the one in the Edinburgh College of Art; at least 2 internet access points in each classroom with CAD programmes; at least 1 colour printer in each of the computer labs in the art college; an art library within the art college to provide info when you want it. facilities are good enough, don't feel that anything else is required A member of the module team to help consult at week-ends for students to help with guidance with their course work. Easier access i.e. parking A gym, fortime you have spare between lectures and water in lecture rooms as it is proven to help concentration. wider selection of interactive learning wireless net working in all buildings including halls of residence to allow tudents to work on own laptop as most have and will have in the future. More relaxed study areas like common rooms, perhaps outwith librarys, for group work as a relaxed atmosphere aids the flow of ideas. More simulated or real life scenario problems to tackle especially during modules Web based learning should be fully explored hopefully not to reduce the excellent tutor and lecturer based study but to improve access to materials. An example would be to make library based materials available online. Also video based conferencing between universities so students all over the country can "sit in " on lectures given by the truly gifted lecturers from other universities and well respected scientists. common room more study labs video and audio conferencing Encouraging environmentally friendly transport. e.g less cars, more bus, even more bicycles. A chill-out room or cantine like, for each course or course groups. As such that there are more self service and chill out facilities, and that the different years of the same course share the same room and so get to know eachother and mix. I may not be typical of your respondents as I am doing a professional development course - PQ1 - therefore work based learning is important. However while I was studying for diploma and masters I especially valued work placement experience and feel this is an important component of learning. better computer facilities on campus. the network is terrible I feel that a constant supply of exam type questions and the expected answers to achieve a grade 6 would assist all students from first year on in what exactly is expected. The bottom line is that we are here to achieve hopefully a first class honours degree, so the more assistance we can get to understand the workings of exam type questions and answers the better. more advanced software, like endnot, analysis tools ( ATLAS.ti for research needs,graphic design software for PC designer-user and webcam support for video conferencing without firework limits. Needs a union that sells alcohol down at Garthdee, every one goes home at five. Could do with more project rooms. Colour photocopiers would be a bonus. 89 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 i think that in the future students will not being doing as much work in the future on campus but will be doing their work through i net and internets. i feel that for the future the university should make the i net better and more reliable as half of the work we are meant to get on the i net doesnt go on. Wireless (already being intergreated) all notes in eletronic format (not just at lecturers discretion) information that is easily found (inet impossible to find what is needed, but it is there) study from home homework days Better lecture notes. We have had one subject (so far) this year in the school off engineering. The standard of lecture notes and equipment in there was awful. Fortunately, the notes and facilites provided in the School of Computing at St. Andrews street was first class (which is just as well because the course is very hard). Adequipt printing facilitys at an aforadble price, the lack of facilities at the moment is shocking Secure remote logins to access local files (H drive) without having to use CDRWs/USB memory sticks or emailing files. In general, I think information should become much more accessible. Things like exam marks/feedback from assessments should be available via online portals. Also, things like online class notice boards (possible maintained by the class's personal tutor) would help remind people about hand-in dates for assessments or inform students about other things like seminars related to a module. very happy so far with RGU More discussion on specific topics in a group to allow a better personal understanding Access from personal computer/laptop to the university network. should have more electronic books especially academic reserves and those recommended by lecturers or listed in the module descriptor. more computers in the libary and some macs in there to as it is hard to transfer my work at the moment also colour printing could be cheaper as art students need it a lot and so it is very costly workgroups for interdisciplinary projects to engage in local problems etc. all night computer rooms and studios creches, child care facilities as children have half term and we do not. SMALLER CLASS ROOMS THEREFORE THE STUDENTS FEEL THEY GET TO KNOW THERE TUTOR AND TUTORS GET TO KNOW THERE STUDENTS. ADVERTISED ACTIVITIES A comfortable place to relax to reflect on what you have learned after a lecture or a seminar instead of fighting for space to sit down. A quiet area away from the horrendous noise in the canteen. modes of correspondance with companires/firms in our respective fields of study so as to provide us with a better understanding of dealing with practical scenarios rather than just theoretical leisure activities and better food A 24 hours library or at least 24 hours computer labs. Maybe official online discussion forums (through the iNet or otherwise) where every 90 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS student who undertakes a module is able to use and where content is supervised by an appropriate member of staff (eg module co-ordinator) in a messageboard style. There is currently a discussion group but this is done via email and this results in much less involvement from students. Also I think more material should be made available by universities (online or in book form) because if it is imperitative we have read or understood information for a module the costs of getting this material is currently very high or if you want to lend it from the library you usually can only have it for a week because of the high demand and generally low supply. None that I can think of, with the arrival of the wireless network there isn't really anything else. 7 days a week lecturer support I am a distance learning student, so do not really use the facilities at the campus. widen the scope of information available to students so they can read more. this is aimed at especially to ensure that journals closely related to a particular course or module made available on-line and off-line. some journals in the library are incomplete. i always find good articles from Construction News Journals but are unable to get hold of them to read. Having a limit on the number of books you can borrow from the library is very annoying. Also a heavy demand section with more books that are currently due in the short term loan section and being able to borrow them for 24 hours at a time would be particularly useful. e.g. all key texts or recommended readings would be available in this section. Also if three or more people put a hold on a particular book it would automatically be put into the 'heavy demand section'. Not being able to access the materials you need for course work is particularly frustrating. Universities are places of academic learning. Anything which improves the quality of teaching/learning, such as, more teaching staff, with larger budgets so that more(and smaller)classes can be held, for those that want it, with more interactivity. For me the ability to observe a post mortem examination would be useful, unfortunately that is not possible at the moment. 24 hour Computer labs at halls of residence . Individual computer workstations in the studios, colour laser printers nearby. The canteen! more help with written work, you could have a tutorial half way through writing a essay and get feedback from the lecturer on what he/she think of it. Enhanced IT facilities to enable students to gain more from distance learning. laptops to all business school students A quiet area in the library where chatting,whispering, group work and mobile phones are punishable by public stoning. NDIVIDUAL DESKS FOR RESEARCH STUDENTS DOING DISSERTATION. A way to access the university software from a home computer - this would prove very helpful when doing coursework that requires software provided on the university network. A more personal service Wireless intranet access. Better I.T facilities Sports, 24 hour subject matter walk in studios for idea communication especially for the new age design subjects such as AIR, with PC access Full intranet access from remote computer, eg home PC. Lecture/seminar notes online as 91 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 standard, not just at discretion of tutor. i strongly feel that a university should provide students with a 24 hour operating computer room and a library room. many students like who do not have computers at home face lots of problems. LIBRARY FACILITIES THAT REMAIN OPEN LATER THAN 10 O CLOCK -education on eco designing and living -personal tutors should be more sincere in offering their time and advice (we don't want scared bunny rabbits), some students need serious advice on life matters, and i don't mean councilor advice! Short courses out of term time or in the evening allowing me to increase my skills in technical drawing, essay writing and perhaps even revision classes before exams. All facilities are fine. Could do with more computer availability during the period where the majority of courses are doing coursework. Sports facilities however these are gradually on their way. Better lab facilities for computer network design students. Better food options and more recreational facilities The university should provide more support for direct entry students as some find it difficult to fit in. A better INet service. Proper sport facilties, a decent student union Lectures to be recorded and available on the i-net. Adequate canteen facilities for all students, not just those in the highly populated buildings. 24 hour studio access for art + architecture students etc, especially close to hand-ins. It should make sure that printer credit machine function effectively in all buildings Cheaper accommodation & tution fee for international students. Should introduce more Specialization courses in Computing at Masters level. I think the university should cater for the different ways that people learn. Some people learn well from lectures, others need a broader understanding of the basics and more simple reading references could be provided. Also, more time should be spent doing practical work with theory built in as it is a more realistic view of how you can use the knowledge that you learn. enforced absolute silence areas,more rooms for groups to meet together, better refectory services, up-to -date books in library More comfy chairs and better food. more project rooms with access to a computer to enable students to meet and discuss work. Coffee and water dispensers and a microwave. Lockers. More computers and longer opening times. More computers. Better journals. Videos of all lectures on the i-net. None that i can think of. A radical look at the exam procedure. Needs a common room, somewhere students can 92 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS mix freely within st andrews st. Most ideas etc that arise come from talking over with other students Have more library books available for core texts that students need. The referencing guidelines should be more clear. Students should be provided with more help when needed. A more stronger and influential Students Union, it seeems nowadays the union can't do very much for the average student. access to exam results online access to past exam paper solution to have the option of sending your esays or assigments to tutors via e-mail. better canteen espicially in garthdee. Do we have a Gym? Do we have a swimmin pool? More interaction with companies Lack of sport facilities at School Hill Campus. Not sure if this is really answering the question but rgu provide a great study support service which I feel should be emphisised. I got help a couple of weeks ago which two and a half year on wished i had done something about sooner. I was not really aware of this help as thought it was for students with learning difficulties or disabilities. I am not the only one to have thought this as other people on my course have had the same thoughts. common rooms for all students to promote feelings of belonging to a group and to assist group support from students at same level Free water for all students and staff. Better permits for the car park especially if students are on placement. Real and worthwhile enterprise/innovation support in partnership as opposed to the IP theft that seems to be the norm. More universities should move towards having various materials such as exam papers, lecture notes, course summaries etc available on line. This would mean a student only prints what they acturally need and means those studying part time or travelling long distances etc will find things easier. Real and worthwhile enterprise/innovation support in partnership as opposed to the IP theft that seems to be the norm. FACILITIES THAT ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND TALK. ALSO SUFFICIENT MATERIALS TO ENABLE STUDENTS TO EXPLORE THEIR AREA OF STUDY ADEQUATELY (WITHOUT LEVYING A SURCHARGE) free water i.e water fountains situated around campus. The university can expand and improve the quality of the available facilities such as Library, computing, recretion etc. Audio & Video Confrncing facilities More adequate printing, photocopying facilities Better access to books, especially obtaining books from different campuses. smaller groups more personalised learning Car Parking. Inter diciplinery forums, links between other universities at student and tutor level for 93 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 cross pollenation of ideas Inter diciplinery forums, links between other universities at student and tutor level for cross pollenation of ideas A bigger place to read and take a coffee or a drink.. Quiet areas in the library. Sometimes it is very difficult to concentrate in the hustle and bustle of the library. Rooms for group work should also be made available so as a group you have somewhere to go for discussions distance learning this is for question above, when i am in class i do learn and in the future i can imagine being in less but still learning more, and i do a lot of work out of class, and off campus and more work will be needed to be done of campus, but cant give excact numbers as i'm in class different times each week Although cost is an issue, the library should have more copies of more up to date books/journals/manuals etc. better parking facilities for staff and students More computers Better canteen facilities especially for nursing students, starting this term in jan no facilities for three days because the business students were not in Common rooms, student lockers I CAN IMPROVEMENTS ON THE ALREADY EXISTING FACILITEIS WOULD BE KEY BEFORE NEW FACILITIES ARE INTRODUCED. More of the same! Filling in the questionnaire made me realise that contact with teaching staff greatly enhances the learning experience. interesting , innovative lectures. a good sports club with professional coaches for each sport lectureres could be a bit more organised. My criticism is more about the tutors than the facilities which are fine. I think the university particularly at St Andrews Street needs the facilitiy of a good refectory one which provides good quality healthy meals to students for sensible prices. A common room for chats and lunch breaks would also be necessary so that the library is not full of people who have time to spare but who dont want to do anywork and therefore mess around on the computers and talk when these are needed by other students for serious working. Maybe it would be possible to provide more information for students as to where they should go for help in times of crisis! Current services are satisfactionary. Give more times spending on practical exercising. the computer lab should be open 24 hrs. more support from tutours Student in the Scott Sutherland school for example spend a large proportion of the year in university. Proper meals and relaxing areas should be provided to encourage their studies. better IT without crashes every once in a while, 100% unsensored internet access, individual feedback sessions for coursework and exams, not just announcing the grade proper area for student to have small discussion or even just to chill out-with a proper facilities eg. sofa 94 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Readily available notes It's hard to say.. perhaps you might have suggested the sort of thing the future might bring? As far as delivering information, i think electronic presentation of text and other media is fine just now, though i would expect delivery to become more slick. Surely to make it more effective as regards getting the point across lies not in the domain of technology, but psychology? But now you're asking.. i would like to have some sort of a bluetooth adaptor hard wired into my brain, and you simply have to turn up, get within 10yards of the info terminal and zap! 'you have successfully completed the tutorial.. have a nice day'. sports facilities better cafeterias much better photocopying facilities more access to tutors More places to relax after studying all day - after a while your brain hurts! If learning & teaching materials are predominately available on line or through some other media in the future, to save on lecture hall space/ lecturers time etc. and to increase/or incorporate much larger student numbers - some assistance must be made available to students to enable them to have possession of/access to the required technical hardware - if the emphasis is going to develop into more self taught based study. More fun based environments, in which to work. There used to be common rooms at Garthdee Business School, and then they were made into more offices. Those informal common rooms were great for group work, and general socialising. Shame we lost them! Accessible parking or the ability to use a park and ride from outskirts of the city. Purchasing parking tickets for residential areas is difficult until you know where to purchase them. Wider range, easier access and up to date subject specific publications. The portal is a step in the right direction, more functionality with this. Continuing to utilise the iNet and using that to provide more information. More help with IT. good food!!! Tutorials on basic/advanced computer skills...course based. bigger rooms to avoid squashed feeling. MORE COMPUTERS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE. sports and more relaxation places. more online books that you can print off (no copyright!!!) better stocked library, more copies of books required for coursework recorded lectuers I'am currently an employee of ABB Atomation Technologies and they have a system in place that uses Interwise software which alows interactive lectures to be broadcast worldwide over the intranet. These lectures can be recorded and kept so that they may be refered to at any time (when convient) and it means lectures can be studied by students time and time again or if a lectuer is missed through Ill health which is a big issue, we can address this problem. This method is particularly useful where IT based systems are the subject of the lecture, Computing lectures etc, also there is no reason why lectures can't be recorded the technology is there now it just has to be harnessed. more information should be given as to how to write an academic essay properly as no handouts were actually given. 95 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Inter diciplinery open forums more canteen facilities, places to study, shuttle buses that manage to cater for the volume of students. better car parking and for the part time degree students more topic choice Lecturers need to be more accessable, either by phone, instant messaging, or in some other remote way. More avalible, acessible electronic equipment. Longer opening hours of design studio. develop the wireless connection, group activites in first year to get to know other stidents better, up to date software Even though what I am about to suggest is been done in the University but I want it to be introduced in my department i.e. the issue of practical experience like attachment to some corporate organisation and as well inviting professionals to come and give lectures on specialised areas. This will definately help students appreciate the course been taught, probably it is been done in some courses but in the department of Law impetus should be geared towards that end because last semester we had only one of such. I feel Robert Gordon provides excellent facilities at the moment and must continue to keep up to date with technology in order for this to continue. More IT Labs Acess to online liabrary should be made more simplier. Creche / nursery / free car parking facility Better iNet facilities, better advanced planning... A sport facility which will soon be commissioned and for the student union centre/student union building, there should be a seperate room for non smokers who are interested in just relaxing and watching sports without the harrasment of those that drink and smoke. interaction with other universities doing similiar courses including overseas. To enable interaction with other cultures, learning and knowledge of subject matter.share resource material and research. Video lectures available as streaming video more online learning groups. in an art school, i think time leaning and creating in the sam space as other people is essential, so i dont think that should be reduced in the future. if anything, more actual studio space might be required at grays. more quiet space, more group discussion rooms, bigger tutorial rooms More strict because the profesional world is. eaiser to access pc terminals rather than just in IT suites, say dotted around the buildings in coffee area, reception etc for easy quite access or printing. More photocopiers. Free drinking water - dehydration is a major factor in fatigue. Having no internet access at home is a problem which should be looked into for some students. Computer software as the main design tool is not fully explored and utilised. The school should start to concentrate the use of various programmes in design. Seminar and workshop on the use of these graphic softwares should be held as part of the main events in the school. Because of the lack of emphasis and manipulation of these graphic 96 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS softwares, the standard most of the design work of students from ths school is low. more computer equipment is required. To be perfectly honest I think RGU in terms of facilities and lecturer capabilities are superb. I could not fault RGU in any way when it comes to these areas. apart from "educational" facilities, i feel that the university should provide students with sports and recreational facilities that are readily accessible to all.. both indoor and outdoor facilities should be incorporated into this..things like a gym, swimming pool, squash courts, games halls etc Field trips, practical tutorials creche that is more aminable. having one at just garthdee is not helpful group rooms for project/group assignments. Silent study rooms allocated for personal study and conference rooms for group use on pcs /flipcharts for course work presentations etc every one knows that dyslexics have problems with spelling. However ther is little understanding of the bigger picture and how it affects every thing, clumsy, keeping up with conversation,misspronounciation of words,ideas come into my head from know where i have to spend a lot of time back. tracking/ making up development.Sometimes I get the impression that lecturers, students not all but some think that I am stupid - I am not it is just that my brain works diffrently. wireless networking I would use the library far more often but unfortunately it's to noisy there. Appropriate learning spaces, e.g. less cramped desks in classes. More group work and tutorials to supplement lectures. Free printing Easy off-campus access to iNet and electronic resources. Explaining procedures a bit more clearly to direct entrants as some forget that direct entrants are not fully up to speed on procedures. Q14. What can the institution do to improve your learning experience? Improve the furniture. Easier access to labs (the office won't let me have a swipe card for C306 etc as they say I have no need for one.)Security won't let me in at all at the weekends as the rooms are locked and I'm not allowed a swipe card. The lecture notes for Advanced Data Networks (EN4530) are atrocious. provide better supervision and career guidance courses tailored towards actual jobs Release answers to past-papers and tutorials. Understand PhD students' need better and provide appropriate learning opportunities, not just 'teaching' ie. the PGCert RM The institution could give you more practical abilitiy laboratories to improve your hands on experience. This point is regarding my course only and I suggest probably more courses involving computing modules. Do more practice. The theoric stuff learnt are not enough applied. 97 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 1.Apart from what was mentioned before, employment of higher calibre research students in order to have some sort of meaningful scientific discussion 2. Genarl-purpose courses such as PG cert should be much more focused on each discipline improve the inet based information so lecturers note can be read without having to print them out. Better communication with Part time students professional expertise Provide more/better feedback on how i've performed in exams and assessments, and suggest areas where i have made mistakes Give more Help at exam time and better feedback. Make lecture notes, which are available online, more detailed and clear. They are currently normally in note form which can make fully understanding them diffecult. The lectures could use the option which are avalible to them better. Why are people still reading of bland overheads when power point presentations with the option for videos and aminations are in place? Also lectures need an element of showmanship to there character, if they dont have this then they should not be in the job. More feedback on exam results the use of more practical case based study material would make the subject matter more relevant I think all tutors should provide answers to tutorials that some students may not have been able to attend. This will also help the ones that did attend. Give more feedback when things like essays are handed back provide more guidance provide quotas for photocopying and printing, easier to learn from printed material than online Better course structure eg : subject matters that go hand in hand with current development More self directed work ie: tutorials rather than lectures Make timetabling more clear, and cool lecture rooms Orginize much more lectures and seminar,which are focous on the up-to-date science development in the world i think there should be more one to one tuition not just in tutorials. By giving longer time for normal matured students during the examinations. Set up special tuition classes for them in the weekend. As I said earlier, provision of informal (real... not virtual) space where you might go to sit and have a chat over a coffee about something - preferably in the building (the situation at the scott sutherland school is pathetic!) Also, stop the ridiculous amount of spam email that gets through the system - how much time is lost across the university trying to filter this stuff out? have lectures / group discussion sessions in rooms that are designed for such composite 98 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS learning More 'practical' based learning and examinations Longer opening hours, especially at exam times Provide more industrial placements for students and have more links with industry as Heriot Watt does in the Offshore industry. It is doing alright as it is. Quite difficult to integrate as a part-time student with family and work commitments. I'm not sure however that the University can do much more than it does already to assist in this area. My experience of an international course is that the student complement is so diverse in terms of language and culture that it can be difficult to conduct useful discussions in a lecture or seminar environment. A stronger core of students with English as first language might assist - providing a foundation within which the advantages of internationalism can be more fully developed. greater access to local companies for help with development of ideas and final solutions including models. Can offer more assistance at certain times instead of throwing us in at the deep in when it comes to essential peices of work Having larger lecture theatres than everyone being squashed together. All lecturers must use microphone to speak when leacturing. Workshops involved in the field of work that the students will/might enter after graduation (for example with co-operation from companies that have in the past employed students form RGU). As I said before, less lectures, smaller groups for tutorials and seminars. More visitors, i.e. professionals from firms. not just managers though, people from all aspects to cater for all possible career paths. Make better use of the inet and have a designated structure for it's material. Provide feedback on all work handed in as quickly as possible so problems that arise are dealt with immediately and not allowed to build up over the course of the year. provide a good facility I think that the future of all universities, esspecially 'new' universities is moving more towards and electronically based learning experience. For me this is not the way forwrd. I think that there should be more interactivity between students and lecturers not with computers and the internet. As a remote DL student, I think more contact from the course tutors would be a great benefit - it would help me through those bad times when my motivation falters. Scrap the iNet. It's a failure and as a Class Rep I know because most students complain about it. Switch the a better more organised system. Look at Glasgow University's student intranet/extranet or use a standardised application such as Blackboard. Even open source software would be cheaper to install, configure and maintain. The iNet actually hampers learning, not encourages it and has a very poor feature list compared to other portals and to student needs. Allow access to more journals. The group coursework i felt was not beneficial - it was done outwith the context of how it is handled in real life situation - there is no group coursework for the 4th year honours 99 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 project. more contact with students by tutors Give more help with revision skills for exams Provide more access to computers. Prevent the loan of journals as they should be accessable to everyone. Encourage communication and exchange of ideas with people from other universities Offer more opportunities to apply developed skills in real environments Bridge the gap between lecturer and student Change learning to be more coursework based and phase out exams. Exams are all down to your performance on that day and not continually throughout the year. We seem to be heading in that direction anyway. I believe that RGU should lead the way as an up to date University and not let traditional Universities old techniques influence the way our future students should learn. No peer grading - there is a tendency to be bias. more skills sessions in the future. A common format between the notes from modules- some of them are more difficult to understand and are less structured than others. Nothing. It's great as it is. more course specific practical classes more ongoing assessments; could be as simple a an online questionaire to see progression. Introduce some more practical Labs More core text books in libary available. Noise control in I.T labes and library. More quiet study facilities. More online learning Better communication between staff and More tutors. Prevent the network from crashing at the most inconvenient times. For Masters level education, the links between the classroom and business is imperative - this is not always made clear in my experience so far having timetables that are easy to read provide more computers Better scheduling of classes i.e. long gaps of over 4 hours in between classes are nonsense. Keep courses and learning materials up to date and relevant. Provide greater feedback during course provide more core text book so that we are not forced to buy many of them on what is already a tight budget, example: I am one of an intake of 290, there have been several times when our core text books held in the libary for us to use amount to the grand total of 3! COME ON how is this supposed to work? spend more time on subjects that are going to take a while for students to get the hang 100 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS off. Better lecturers (there are some very good ones, but also some very poor ones) that enjoy their subject and enjoy teaching it with the ability to make everyone understand the subject. If students learning psychologies and skills be reviewed and improved in generally or individually if it is possible. Thus, improve students learning abilities and willingness. In my opinion, not go to a predominantly online based environment. The internet and i-net are good support tools but the modules which i learnind most from this year were those delivered by good lecturers with well prepared materials and supporting notes more internet based links POSSIBLY PERSONAL MEETINGS WITH STAFF SO AS THE CAN GIVE YOU POINTERS ON PERFORMANCE. THERE IS LESS MOTIVATION IF FOR A STUDENT TO DO SO IF IT IS NOT COMPULSORY I find that I learn most through group discussions with my fellow students and tutors. It helps me keep an open mind by hearing other people's opinions and also I need to hear criticism about my work so that I can learn and gain from my faults, this improves me learning. The institution should continue to encourage group learning sessions. more personal feedback from tutors on how you're developing More relavant books in the library. Increase the level of student support available. That is student support ACTUALLY available, not people just sitting listening to problems then promptly forgetting about them. Make all the lecturers more approachable and not stuck up and get them to give straight answers to any question that any student may have. Make the materials that are taught relevant to the work in industry and possibly create a working style atmosphere so the graduates are well equipped to go into industry. develop the Intranet further. Making it easier to use, quicker with more access to materials. Personally I feel attending a class helps focus and share problems, I have found studying with the OU difficult as one-one face to face teaching was not available unlike RGU - Online library with access to learning materials would be helpful appreciate that this is already in place however not all lecturers take advantage of the service and post course information. Not have a part of a subject delivered through online only, no lectures or tutorials more feedback on progress Better structured courses and teaching. Better outcome and higher standard of work demanded by students to create benchmarks throughout the year. Have periodic reviews of staff to ensure that they are teaching the course properly. the university has a lot of facilities and at the moment it is good enough provide more time in the labs with better and more uptodate equipment, and lecturers to support you when you need them to Improved management and organisation of Intranet material at departmental level I am satisfied with the provisions and faciities offered to me at this time. 101 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 mORE CONTACT TIME WITH TUTORS, AND BETTER ACCESS TO IT AND COMPUTERS. Increase the personal approach to studying, being able to discuss things face to face, and ask questions is far better that doing it by computer. Better basic information on University "life" for new part-time students, i.e. what you can take in to the lecture theatres,etc Better basic information on University "life" for new part-time students, i.e. what you can take in to the lecture theatres,etc less time sitting in lectures, interactive learning would benefit, i would learn alot more and gain more understanding on subjects provide a lot more hands on approach in uni and cut out the subjects that are not relevant to the job that you will have when qualified Same as last comment, more computers having day release where students can work in the subject they are studing provide extra tuition for classes for students that are struggling Their should be practical studies for everyone To enhance my knowledge and understanding and to make me aware of what skills to apply to different situations. upgrade the facilities in st. andrews street library, in terms of greater number of important books available Less lectures- more tutorials. Don't just give out past papers, let us see the answers, so we know what to revise. Use technology more efficiently, a the moment e.g. iNET is not used consistently by all lecturers Relate academic issues to real life examples, i.e. provide students more real life opportunities to apply their knowledge Use modern ways of communication to allow students better access to learning materials that will further their understanding of the subject. Most importantly these materials have to archives but very up to date information to allow access to wider spectrum of information and thinking. For the lectures to be more Consistent when they are marking essays and not to have conflicting requirements Provide more computers for students. PERSUADE LECTURES TO USE ACTUALLY IT Instead of only concentrating on fees the university should realise its fundamental duty to deliver knowledge. Which in present senario is zero or if negative is possible then thats it to improve lectures effectiveness, if any way the lecture could be video recorded and available to playback over i-net. Tutors spending the allocated time in studio instead of sporadically appearing. Have more interactions with the tutors and not just be in a class for group work with a flip chart and left to get on with it. therefore coming out of class wondering what it was meant to be about . 102 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS attempt to attract better students, rgu is viewed as a uni for "thicks." Also, the attitude, application and teaching ability of certain lecures is terrible GIVE QUICKER FEEDBACK TO RESULTS OF PORTFOLIO SUBMISSIONS TO PREVENT FURTHER ANXIETY WAITING FOR THE GOOD/BAD NEWS. provide staff More clinical practice as i feel i learn more by doing than reading. Make the tutorials more interactive and reduce the amount of presentations that we have to do to our class that do not count towards the grade. Especially in 4th year Aiming you in the right direction to be able to find out knowledge for yourself. I think you learn and remember the information better. give more chances for communion between the students who come from different countries. Better classroom availability. collection of viable information from student about the strengths and weaknesses in their learning experiences I don't think that a student can rely much on lectures. Hovewer, I believe that tutorials (i.e.,seminars) could be used more effectively. Basing on my own experience I can say that students were not encoraged enough to do reading or research before seminars and discussions were not very exciting. Also, as an international student, I would like to have more support with writing essay. One predominant problem is workload in the arts based courses - it may be beneficial to cut this down or channel it differently. Also, there are often shortages of computers/printers/scanners etc and it would be much more practical to have more of these. A little more help in explaining key ideas Provide face to face support and a little direction Make nursing school more organised More international activities Enhance the skills side of learning to be a nurse and make it geared more to the practical side of nursing. Expand, make more available maths classas, also expand time in ITclasses as am computer iliterate. more practical learning to underpin the theory Get more funding for research and for lecturers More help with coursework essays more support from tutors and explainations of the coursework I feel I would gain from a drop in service that was available from 9 - 5 monday - friday I would like to have more feedback from my courseworks and general study. I feel like I am doing well but would like to know exactly what my lecturers think. The only feedback students recieve is written on their courseworks, in my experience. I have found the most useful classes were like Therapeutic Communication - using a 103 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 combination of learning methods. Third year has been most useful to me in Nursing Studies better lecture facilities rather than lecturers just reading from notes give more project opportunities to the students. More tutor support see question 10- noisy libraries, also the chance of lecture notes to hand for students with limied time to access a computer to download notes. all lecturers make their notes and extra information availble on the intranet. more practical classes to reinforce the principles learnt in lectures. structured tutorials to gain the support lecture material. Better lecturers able to teach and to motivate their students. For the university to increase the amount of library material available, e.g. there should not be "poor" subjects with very limited number of journals . To stop changing the courses (structure and content) every year in the quest of a better course, but to look at other universities were similar courses are run successfully. teach more computer access in library for coursework and other help more copies of books available in library - especially core texts larger storage in email memory feed back on progress throught the semester would be beneficial as weaknesses can then be improved on before exams/assignments Be more thorough in teaching, i feel that if you area stuck are having problems it is quite difficult to approach a member of staff for help larger range of books in the library, more tutorials with lecturer, give us a placement in design - will give us an understanding about the types of jobs there is involved in design enforce attendance have better stock of books in library or lend them out for less time so everyone has access study rooms or common rooms to relax in and chat to other people in the school Continue to give me the space to finish my doctorate! Continue to minimise bureaucracy! well the institution can start teaching.just browsing the web dont make you a knowledgable person. application and undestanding the subject is more important then finding journals and theoritical stuff said by others which has been criticized by some one else and no longer is of value now Library materials at this stage are limited and therefore need to be improved. specialise my course-hospital+community/industrial into different degrees It could make an effort to cut the down-time of its computing system? I find formal set exams difficult through nervousness ,and feel I would be more accurately asessed in my learning through continuous asessement and corsework provide more books etc and more time for seminars whether online or in the real world.Perhaps have more info re actual jobs and placements of a few weeks to allow students to actually see how the degree will work in the potential workplace. 104 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS more courework less exams, exams are only learned for the sake of passing it. Courseworks stick around in my head longer thus provide me with more knowledge A couple of the lecturers , in my opinion , are not up to standard and perhaps they need re-training. Because lecture notes have to be printed from i net many students don't bother getting all the required notes due to printing costs. Free hand outs should be re introduced The art school is understaffed and more tutors - even part time would be terrific. The existing staff are really stretched - but could not be replaced by e-learning Just be approachable and helpful. I feel mosr tutour interaction with students would be of benefit to all. Many of us feel as though we ase stumbling around in the dark , half of the time. More core study books in the library, More time in tutorials rather than large lectures, important points can get lost in the noise! no lectures or tutorials early in the morning More guidance and practical help at the beginning of the course. employ tutors who care about their subject and have some actual teaching and people skills, these are sadly few. also it could bemuch better organised... no ammount of computer wizardry can compensate for too many students being crammed into too small a classroom or being told the lecture will be cut short again due to rooming problems i THINK MORE TUTORIALS WOULD BE BENEFICIAL This will sound petty, but I am doing my Masters which is supposed to require that i do a lot of self study and research. However a lot of notes that I receive are that well written that I do not need to do this. So for the masters pooer written notes will be helpful. I said it was petty. By limiting the 'red tape' involved (e.g., annual reports, mandatory courses). By providing easier access to useful software. SMALLER CLASSES AND BETTER HOURS Be less subjective in the marking system. Less airy fairy questions for essays. More time doing not what the NMC say we should be doing but what we feel we need as well. Although the internet is a great gate way to the world, students only learn by teaching, i.e. someone with them to show them how it works. I dont think the University should lean towards distancer learning because although it may get you a degree, when it comes to a work environment you will have no idea what to do, there is a lot more to a degree than sitting exams. Work placements should also be used, whether it makes the dergee accredited or not they are a brilliant idea. More learning support, for essays etc. Make it clearer what is expected in the essays Organise courses on the use of computer software Tutorials and personal contact between students and tutors are very important parts of learning - online learning can do a lot to support this role but should not replace it. Provide far better feedback on assignments rather than just having it handed back marked and a pass is a pass so be happy with it. Well we (Post Grads) are not happy with just a pass we want to know and understand why we didn"t get full marks. better system for borrowing/returning books-more avaliability of books 105 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Organise time tables better for students who have to travel long distances Ensure better computers and Internet connections. !!!! (to start with) Although technology is a useful learning tool, it's important that there is a solid staff base. It would seem that staff are being traded for technology - not the best approach in a University! more help with course work and better communication skills between staff Lectures being cancelled without notice is annoying as i have to travel 16 miles to uni. Better organisation within the structure of the course I believe that some students are being accepted into courses when they clearly do not meet the required prerequisite standard. I have been disappointed with my Masters thus far because some students can not even speak basic English and are therefore disruptive in class. I can not speak for all of the Masters subject but I can say that I have been disappointed also with the way the MBA Project Management module was structured and presented. i travel daily from elgin to university so online learning and lectures over the internet would improve my learning experience Give clearer information on the course and what is required for individual assessments give more feedback when mistakes are made and more positive feedback Continue with good access to computers, maybe have more access to better computers in town so you don't have to come all the way out to garthdee. Perhaps provide feedback on exam results, maybe through a session with the individual's personal tutor - would provide students with an opportunity to see how they are performing against the University's criteria and assess any areas that they may require assistance with. More IT taining particually how to do effective internet searches more flexable learning times sat, sun eg.study day topic before the day, smaller groups. more integration between course subjects! it is much better for understanding if all individual subjects are geared towards a final goal or project. do the lecturers actually talk to each other? all it takes is a little communication and responsibility on the part of those running the course! make it more pratical based more availability of books and reading lists prior to the semester starting as my course is essentially a practical course i feel that the institution could offer more practcal skills. i feel that i lack practical kmowledge because of the way my course is designed. More teaching on referncing. In a recent assessment I was dissapointed in a the grade that I received. A major criticism was that I did not reference properly. As I worked extremely hard on the assessment, I feel that more tuition on referencing would only have resulted in a much higher grade. Nothing. I think that the library, i-net etc. provide students with all they need to learn. The next step is up to the students to in fact learn the material. give induction courses of how to use the intranet - at leest 3 hours worth 106 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS more real case study(no more non-profit organisations) internship Have more revision classes so you can gain more help if required sometimes provide better notes More technical education and also team work projects. I find that i learn a lot from integrated studies especially projects that collaborate with other professionals eg architects, interior design, etc. Start handing out notes again. Spend more time on tutorial work. Make access to intranet, e-mail a first day compulsory training session to ensure everyone knows how to do it. Don't just assume we all have access. better communication re school or department specific events/ news. More time should be spent on how to learn. Show us the relevence of the subjects we are studying in relation to our course Make it clear what resources and facilities are available and how to use them i think enough facilities are already in place. More information on what is available for Part Time students Greater feedback from assessments perhaps by email. Encouragement and Motivation. More assessment throughout the modules to make students more aware of how they are coping with the course, without assessment we are cluless. I am enjoying my Degree Course with RGU, however, I felt uncertain of many things at the beginning and I am still finding my feet - so to speak. As mentioned, everything is very speedily accessible on the intranet and there is lots of information at the touch of a button. However, as I have just begun my course in September 2004, I am still getting used to the way things run. I am often emailing tutors or calling the help desk trying to find out information. So electronically, everything is fine. It is again the personal element that is lacking. When beginning the course I attended the two evening induction and now that I am further into the course, I think that the induction could have involved a few of the more simpler, more often asked questions by students. I do realise that all of this information is readily available to students via the intranet, but when students begin a new course, wether they are straight out of higher education, school or like me a mature student, we all need support and guidance and we all have many questions. A more personal approach from staff to offer support and guidance would go a long way. Getting your head round learning, exams, assessments etc is hard enough, without having to worry about the more trivial things, like where to find..........anything or who do I speak to about this or where do I top up my printing card or how do I fill in the assessment forms/am I doing it right? the list goes on. So the bottom line is, find a more personal way to support students in the beginning to help us to merge into the way of Uni life, because there are so many things to think about initially and it can be quite daunting. Ensure that the calibre of students admitted are high so that there would be good contributions from all in the class and there can be reasonable level of positive competition bringing out the best in all. Provide first years with more help on things such as; how to write essays. Provide more computers or just ensure all computers are working penalise poor particapation in tutorial groups. "i'll sit here and say nothing, in case I'm 107 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 wrong" attitude is hugely detremental to all attendees. Put less emphasis on passing assessments an more emphasis on learning materials. Most people only focus there learning on the knowledge that will allow them to pass the assessment instead of focusing on learning in general. More hands on experience and less theory. More resources in the library and students or tutors avaliable to help with the understanding of certain topics when studying. Less time spent in lectures having the notes read out to us and more time doing practical exercises or tutorial time. More textbooks available. Take more time over teaching - rather than rushing things through. I have a mental impairness disability. I only manage because I insisted on help from my course leader more seminars to discuss difficulties give more detailed feedback and hands on experience in university Be different and innovative. Learning is made fair easier if the experience for the student is more memorable. Less emphasis on one-off end of term exams and more emphasis on learning year round. More focus on improving students core professional skills to ready them for entry into the real world. I believe that the lectures shoudl have a better understanding of teh carrer into which their students plan to go into, pharmacy be it community or hopsital is a very specific career and I believe that whislt non-pharmacist lectures can be very benifical many of them have unrealistic views of the role of the pharmacist in the health care team. provide more clinical experience and more illnesses for us to learn. Be more clear about the rules that apply when resitting exams and what happens to students who don't pass. Number of people I know are unsure and effected by this. with some lectures in more detail about my research topic I feel thta all learning should be geared towards your degree - much more labs and practical work relevant to your degree should be in place so that you put all the theory learnt into practice. Communication and exchange beteen RGU and other universities are expected to be reinforced in future. 1) provide more class room guidance. 2) more personal attention on students rather than a group guidance. 3) give more time for students and lecturers to interact. 4) objective assesment of the courseworks & assignments after a periodic input about the topics. ( not one week crash courses) 5) Importantly REDUCE THE STRENGTH OF THE CLASS. 30 STUDENTS IN A MASTERS CLASS IS NOT WISE. it is a market. Clearer lectures should be presented. Most of the time lecture notes are just copied directly from text books which students already have. Make certain that every single piece of paper that was handed out in class is available on inet, in particular worked solutions. Tell the lecturers not to expect students to have copies of the notes they only put on the inet that morning at 8:30 or whatever. Every module 108 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS should be split perfectly into week by week lectures instead of just one huge subjecxt matter. This greatly improves note keeping, keeps you on time better and makes it more noticeable if you have missed or are missing notes. Have better, more practical timetables. People can't be in two places at once! Don't give us assignments where part of the subject matter is not being studied for another year! Do not recommend useless and overpriced books. Introduce school style homework to ensure both students and lecturers are carrying out tutorials. Hands on group work and lab sessions are far more effective learning tools than endless theory. These should be brought back, not replaced with so called new initiatives. More attentive lecturers. Better access to lecturers. Greater use of the inet for lecture notes and other subject related materials. i feel that we should have more guided studies as they are a good way to learn but i feel lecturers should go over the answers Provide a better intranet service. Provide lecture notes intead of students paying for own handouts. how to find the materials related to my subjects In some lecture give more tutorials in class Better feedback on assessments. Provide staff who look as if they care. Provide staff who reply to emails. MORE FOCUS ON TRADITIONAL METHODS OF LEARNING WHICH ACTUALLY WORK - NOT ONLINE SYSTEMS JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE CHEAP. Providing a day during the working week where there are no classes and the day can be used on courseworks and revision. It would be good if lecturers did not wait till the week before an exam to post tutorials answers online so students can prepare for the exam. provide more tutor contact have discusion groups on topics that are being looked at to be able to understand the information in a different way. actively participate in the module, more towards discussions rather than "spoon feeding" I would like to see lecturers changing there titles to teachers, then students would have a better chance of not just passing the exams, but actually learning more about there chosen subjects. This does not apply to all lecturers as some will bend over backwards for you, but the majority don't give you the time of day. Key computer skills development that are needed in the workplace ie SAP, Intermediate Excel etc. Also more focused tutorials centred around developing beyond lecture notes I think RGU is one of the best institutions that I've studied at. The computer system needs to be upgraded and made faster give more feedback through term time and not just at exam time! Constructive criticism would help! More professionals coming in from the working environment giving discussions to the class and demonstrate how the material that we are learning is used in the real world Having less breaks between lectures and instead have a full day of lectures then an 109 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 afternoon off so we can study for example the next day offer more help to students who really need it. more feedback think it is well balanced the way it stands. More emphasis on skills rather than theory in Uni. Improve access to online journals. Lessen the time it takes to recieve grades on prior work, this is essential as being new to the university, I need to know exactly what the tutors are after in order to maximise any grades I may achieve. Get timetables correct instead of me spending time working them out i would have more time to study Keep going much as they are now. Be available as much as possible and continue to be as easily approachable as i find them now. Tutors to be approachable and easy to talk to, like <name withheld> does more academic approaches on the subject would be useful to gain understanding and knowledge- e.g. mini essays, critical diaries, learning of history of subject- and more seminars and tutorials. lectures could be aimed more at teaching of materials and the craft instead of just one off lectures from various artists. Library needs more books!! Intranet not very useful for lecture notes, i.e. notes removed from site without warning. Noise in lectures off putting, lecturers should be able to exclude disruptive students. It could give us more time to complete essays while we are learning about the subject at university, not when we are on placement&have enough to think/worry about. instead of having notice boards on 5th floor plus timetable plus online info, a more streamlined use of information sharing would be effective , ie just online or notice boards on 1st floor (5th floor being narrow and if a few people gather to look at it the corridor becomes blocked. More links with industries within this region, so that students can have industry related projects that can promote better learning experiences. Bring online more materials so students are not forced to spend forever trying to access books from a library which has to few books and does not keep pace with development within courses ie new groundbreaking challanging books get published and are not bought.Improve the i net so it works properly, too many system failures. low turition fee smaller classes keep our interest. too much lectures which after a while our consentration wonders Provide clearer information re accessing online information/resources. more tutorials In many subjects where internet searches are involved a whole class are spending a great deal of time on the net looking for the same or a related topic on which the lecturer setting the work has already a great deal of background material. What a waste of our time. From unsuccessfull searching we learn nothing. Given guidance as to where to look and what to look for would allow more time to assemble, prepare and learn the material. A greater deal of communication between subjects would allow work to be scheduled in a realistic manner as would a timetable of work to be achieved handed out at the start of each semester, allowing students to plan their time, as you would in a job, this would reduce unnecessary 110 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS pressure on students and ultimately could improve the outcome of their final degree mark, and enhance the reputation of the university. The institution should employ graduates with education background to enable effective transfer of knowledge offer specific skills and practice for study Try to encourage a culture of team spirit and not have everyone leaving once the classes are over. more support. lectures arent very effective as the theatres are too big eith too many students, you do not take as much information in so more little tutorial groups would be highly more effective Very important - link to outside world. have people from the business come and speak to us and show us that what we are learning is actually of some use, lets see it in practice! better linkage between modules i.e. can follow same path in different areas (parallel learning) Improve the student tutor ratio, too many students in class affecting learning Improve the standard of the school of engineering - especially the lecture notes and the likes. Use More hands on experience. Tell lecturers to liven up their plain text based powerpoint lectures by using multimedia effectivly, not just putting up black and white text. cut out three hour long seminars, too long, start to loose interest in this seminar due to its length More discussion on specific topics in a group to allow a better personal understanding Have smaller class for tutorials. explain when we go wrong how we are doing it and how we could improve basing the course programme onto the latest psychologigal facts of the learning process might be worth concidering, especially respect the achieveable amount of cognitive intake for students per day!!! less is sometimes more!!! examinations are probably not the best way to test the understanding of a subject. in working life one can look details up in books anytime. in my opinion it is unrealistic to pretend that one has to know every little detail by heart! the basic concepts are often getting lost between the heaps of detailed information! basic needs. a good canteen, computers, lecturers and information thats all you really need I would like to know more about study skills. I am a mature student and when I was young we were not checked for dislexia etc... and would like to have the opportunity to find out if I am. SMALLER CLASS SIZE MORE PRACTICAL LEARNING ON CAMPUS More feedback on a personal nature. Felt like just a number. Felt lecturers were too busy to bother them with little issues, however, always found them approachable and eager to help when I did approach them. Would have liked more hands on learning on a one to one basis with small difficulties I had then to rely on my peers to answer improve lecture material 111 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 more support Work on timetables a bit more, the past 2 years my timetable has been a shocking disgrace and it just means I have to put far much more effort in to travelling. This may not sound like a problem, but it gets to the stage where you just can't be bothered staying in town for say 1 tutorial that takes place 4 hours after a morning lecture, etc... Remove the 'them and us' barriers presented by many lecturers I am satisfied with my learning experience. no comments, apart from the unavailability of some journals The university can feel quite impersonal in comparison to where I studied for my undergrad. It would also be useful if tutors were allowed to grant extensions when a student expresses to them that they have been stressed or experiecing difficulties without feeling that the only way to justify not being able to get work done with a medical certificate. Also if a studuent has a chronic condition set off by stress I think it is unreasonable to expect a medical certificate to be submitted every time an extension is required. Surely this information can be kept confidentially on a personal file. I know that Doctors find this frustrating too. Exposure to materials/research works in other similar institutions of leraning globally. More and smaller classes, with more interactivity. Increase the amount of interaction between students and tutors . Encourage students to form multi-nation study groups so as to make the most of an international enviroment. Increase the amount of interaction between students and tutors . Encourage students to form multi-nation study groups so as to make the most of an international enviroment. Provide more crits at the end of each project Try to encorporate more flexibility in the timetable the institution can develop a program for the lecturers on how to carry students along ina class and maybe 3 hour lectures should be reduced to 2. This way students are not too bored. make lectures a bit more interesting rather than going on and on Increase motivation within students. Have lectures lasting for more than one hour and do not timetable a morning lecture from 9am-10 am then an afternoon one from 4pm- 5pm..people may actually turn up for lectures. DETAILED LECTURE NOTES AND MORE LECTURERS WITH PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE Provide answers to past exam papers make it more personal. I am just a number Make learning online easier, e.g. making sure lecture notes are available online for all who need access to it Have smaller groups to learn in and more interaction with the topics involved eg nursing students more time in skilss centre learning practicle skills Increase practical learning, partnerships with companies with student involvement possibly. Provide open access course based studios. Reduced examination focus increase and make more difficult assessments 112 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Provide more clear feedback on assessments Perhaps slightly more study leave. As a part time student, I have had to use annual leave and unpaid leave to ensure that I have met exam committments. the university can ristrict the number of students in a class. at present i have around 120 students in mt class. the professors are really good and we students can gain a lot out of them provided we get some personal attention-it is very essential. Make car parking free, my course is expensive and it adds more to people's spending, we already pay to go to uni, it puts me off going when i can work better at home. They should encourage students to attend as it helps with studio dynamics. more one to one communication between my self and my tutors more often either through e-mail or personal meetings. Students could benefit from a minority of staff becoming more approachable. Encourage students of the importance of studying and encourage them to show self discipline in setting out time for study. provide marks for essays etc within the 2 weeks stated, rather than still be waitng for marks 2 months after submission i feel a more disaplined atmosphere would help me, but im awear that it wouldnt for others Make sure there are no duplication between classes if there are external lectures. But also ensure there are external lecturers who can share their experiences with you. The university needs to keep up with the IT demand. If there are interactive packages available online then it would be helpful if you were sure you would get access to the package(s) when you require. At present this is not the case and can be very frustrating when you have selected a study period and you can't access the package of your choice. It would be better if my course were available online as I have to travel 60 miles to get to lectures. Give more explanations and clarity. prepare a guide for every individual coursework. Be more organised in advance, don't change dates/nights of lectures. Stick to the planned programme particularly with regard to hand in dates of assignments and lecture dates and topics. To give more feedback on formal assessments eg. give students their exam papers and go through the paper as a class so students can find out what mistakes they made and learn how the questoins should have been answered. The same goes for courseworks: it would be useful to see the markers comments and a sample answer too. At the moment, with exams and courseworks the only feedback we get is a grade (a single number that covers a band of upto 30%), never knowing which parts were right, which were wrong and what the answer actually is. Make sure the tuturs have a clear idea of what they are are asking from the students, what the students are expected to achieve from the work and what the end product should be and make sure they communicate this effectively to the students. I think that there should be more contact of students and their individual tutors. They should not just be there if you are struggling or unhappy about something. Be more procise in what it requires especialy in essay writting im lucky my course does not just require essays as i find these very difficult to write. with 113 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 different assessments (such as web pages, leaflets, proposals etc for those of us that know work but are unable to express that through essays or reports I have only been enrolled for a couple of weeks A tutor who is interested in their subject and students conveys that in lectures and teaching sessions. Increase the amount of time teaching clinical skills and subject specific material to students studying for vocational qualifications i prefer face to face consultations and at the moment i feel that i am intruding when i ask a tutor for a meet. more involvement with a personal tutor. it keeps it real and i believe that there is too much emphasis nowadays to do things electronically. The University should keep their word when it comes to classes and how they recruit. Increase tutorial time I believe the institution does all it can. I feel that the course I am studying should have more classes as I only have classes that take up 12-16 hours a week. Better quality of computer equipment, and a proper canteen, rather then a Costa coffee bar. Improve the quality of lectures Establish more consistent pattern of tutorials Increase the number of electronic journals available through the library More effective timetabling - at the moment this seems to be driven by the availability of rooms More tutorials and less lecture because during tutorials there is direct feedback and the student is active, whereas during the lecture the students are more passive. The content of the course should be more up to date to give a better level to students when they leave uni (e.g .net) Unsure mainly to have the avilable rooms for a particular module rather than not knowing where you are half of the time Don't make the classes so big. schedule more individual learning. Ask the students what they would like in their course before you compile it each year. More varying subjects. More choice. To find alternative ways of sitting exams. be more organized for example have lecture notes on internet before lectures so we can take meaningfull notes Increase the resources in the library, obtain more journals online or in paper format Have the inet working, so that when lectures put up information we can can acess the information. Better support for DL students. There is at the moment a huge variation in the commmitment of different lecturers. So long as there is institutional transparency in process and action it comes down to the individuals providing specific functions - and that is always subject to the vagaries of human nature. Not spread itself too thin. Ensure adequite resourses for students to use (ie hardware) and 114 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS the relevant backup (ie consumables and technicians) is in place. Careful timetabling, yet not so overcrowded that there can not be some flexibility. as I am on a distance learning course much of the work is independantly completed. It would be nice if tutors contacted students from time to time to offer support. provide more subject matter and more accessable learning support on campus expand scope of industrial visits to expose students to facilities and equipment Much more use of visual aids e.g. presentations, videos, photographs, diagrams. My learning experience will be greatly improved if the university can make the programmes taught more practical. Translating what is learnt to what is required in the field will be easier if more practical situations are handled during the learning programme. The university can go the extra mile to invite professionals to address and give practical examples to students on what obtains in the field. Better personal feedback to students on cousework I really think that the University have good teachers, some of them. Some have a good way to teach others not. But I can say that there are also bad teachers that they teach some things written but they don't explain, don't try to do the teaching more understanding, interesting and new to the studend. They teach because they are been pay to teach no to give something to learn to the student. I want to learnt at the university new things and be teached in this new things. More labs and tutorials will be helpfull but good ones. better examination procedures - more encouragement at the moment i like my course and interaction with lecturers, i dont like the idea of internet working and if it ends up having to do all the work on i net, i think i will not get so much out of it More ongoing assessment of student's grasp of the subjects. Increase the amount of tutor time and the no. of tutors Improve lectures and course material or more online learning More nursing pratical Too much emphasis on other topics that would be more beneficial in the final year especially as we lack basic nursing skills for placements A sa part-time student, it is very difficult to get personal feedback and to meet up with tutors - we are in danger of receiving no one-to-one feedback whatsoever, and this must be taken into consideration when thinking about technology Get rid of theatre lectures and deliver interactive lectures through the tutorials. FIRSTLY THEY SHOULDNT HAND OUT COURSEWORK RIGHT FROM THE START ESPECIALLY SINCE IN MOST CASES A LARGE PART OF THE COURSEWORK HASNT BE TAUGHT YET. MIDWAY THROUGH CLASSES WOULD BE GREAT. ALSO TUTORS SHOULD TRY TO APPRECIATE MORE THE DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS REPRESENTED IN THEIR CLASSES, COURSE SHOULD BE MORE INTERNATIONAL IN NATURE AND NOT JUST UK, EU, US BASED. THESE ARE DEVELOPED NATIONS AND THE SITUATIONS IN THESE COUNTRIES CANNOT ALWAYS BE USED TO EVALUATE THE POSITION OF OTHER LESS DEVELOPED NATIONS. TUTORS SHOULD ALSO ALWAYS ENSURE THE MEET WITH THEIR STUDENTS REGULARLY EG A FORTHNIGHTLY INDIVIDUAL] EVALUATION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT [IF THE CLASS IS SMALL ENOUGH OR IF THE CLASS IS QUITE LARGE, A GROUP THING WERE EACH MEMBER OF THE CAN SOUND THIER OPINIONS ON THE COURSE ET AL AND THE TUTOR CAN ALSO ASSESS THE STUDENT.....EVERYBODY GAINS. 115 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 use of blackboards alongwith powerpoint slides would enable better understanding of concepts more tutorials required for each subject. Now not all subjects are provided with tutorials. Most of the teaching staff either too busy or not at office. Guide us a little better as alot of us have not done essays and coursework for a long time. Provide more feedback from lecturers, maybe making time for even smaller discussions and help from them than exist now in tutorials. it can garentee a wednesday afternoon off in all time tables to allow people to represent the university in their sport Giving help in other aspect also, such as funding. I like to do Phd in Artificial Intelligent after my MSc but I do not have money. I have the ability, courage and desire but i do not have enough funding. Be fair to all the student.this includes that not only students which is send in by big organization benefits from RGU. develop theoretical knowledge The institution needs be be organised. If they know what they are doing the students experience is made a lot easier realise it is dealing with adult students, not pupils *better computer at library (at the moment it is so slow and only few have dics rewritable) and other facilities like room to view vcd or video (maybe there is one now..hmm) *more reference books *mprove on the heating systems especially in scott sutherland school room SA18 and SB42 *handout *lecturer note should be on the inet few days before lecture start for student can read and understand and knows what to ask Stop buggering about with this fuckng iNet shite. The amount of lecture notes, tutorial solutions etc which are missing from my courses is an absolute disgrace. How the fuck are you supposed to learn if you don't have the support? Fucking amatuers. I have just started the course and at the moment I am enjoying the learning experience possibly make tutorials +lectures?) more interactive? the current system has not worked that well for me. i simply attend so my grants are not taken away from me. - i learn from the notes we can download from the inet, at home. few lectures hold my attention for more than the first couple of weeks (sometimes it's dull delivery, though it's mostly dull course content that is to blame). with tutorials, you invariably find that the tutor's help and assistance is spread too thin. perhaps some sort of an interactive run-through of the content might work better for a numpty like me. provide better facilities continue with the training available to help use and understanding all the new technology/ software packgages etc. More feedback on work as its hard to know what is expected of me in my course more tutor time I feel the introduction to IT skills could have been a bit longer and more in depth. If other students like myself are novices to using computers I feel I have spent a lot of wasted time on how to gain access and information that I could have used studying. 116 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS 1. Provide a wider range of subject specific publications. 2. Improve on line accessability. Continue to provide facilities with which I can further my knowledge/understanding/skills within the topic of my degree. The Librarians should understand that not all departments help you with IT ban students from all social life offer more tutorials (discussions (or case studies) about 'knowledge' you picked up in the lecture) Try not to cram too much learning into too little time so that it is a bit rushed in some respects. computer training PROVIDE ALL STUDENTS WITH SEMINAR ACCESS TO LECTURERS WHO DELIVER THE CORE MATERIAL Not make it compulsary for us to go to every lecture and tutorial we are adults now so treat us like it. sports facilities make the skills laboratory work more effectively for students e.g. certain tutors do not have up-to-date skills and sessions are far too rushed and students feel they do not benefit enough timing of essays could be better, often have to be written when on placement, working full time, travelling and looking after family Better studio space,( light is a constant issue as is space. More tutors in Fine Art Painting would be a definite advantage, it would allow for greater diversity in subjective input. A present just three tutors teaching accross all years of the degree course, they are coping with 125 first years and 65 students accross the remaning years. As fine art student work in individual dedicated spaces, tutors must attempt to see 180 students each week to give individual tuition time. It is a very specific need in the area of fine art and should be adressed with urgency Stop changing seminar groups and lecturers each semister. more tutorials instead of large lectures more time in skills lab integrate part time better than they have Make it easier to contact teaching staff. Often e-mails, calls are left unanswered. More accessible teachers Add more books in the library that are up to date and then improve the inter personal relation of the students and lecturers/staff. make acsess to the university easier, then I would attend the library more. I feel very lucky that in my Department the staff do all they can to assist in our learning. Technology is important and has many benefits but cannot replace being taught by people who care about both their job and our future. As a first year student in my first semester I find RGU to be delivering the essential learning experience I require at this stage at a pace that is suistable to me. 117 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 As a first year student in my first semester I find RGU to be delivering the essential learning experience I require at this stage at a pace that is suistable to me. school should have an online bookshop where students can buy books online. Some of the courses that are new to the students,the lecturers could take more time in explaining the concepts and models. Courseworks are good as long as the students understand the questions and how to apply the knowledge gained.The bus system from the residential area to Gathdee is not efficient.What happened to the free shuttle bus that was running before now? Have moore interaction with the students on distance learning courses to enable the support network to be more cohesive. A slightly more personal approach from tutors. It would be there if you sought it on campus. Facilitate online learning and groups like OU does create some sort of art students society. more tutorials, with better time management. Some tutorials are rushed. Be more accurate and more strict As the only 4 flexible route students on our course we feel ina minority to say the least. We are not truly flexible when it comes to the academic side and would like to see more family friendly initiatives There are often a lack of key texts for my course. We have to work out who has which book and ask to borrow it to copy quite often Have lecture slides ready and on inet at least two days before lecture Take away the exam, because i hate exam although i know this is the way to test the student on how far they understand the knowledege being taught. however i think the faculty can choose to introduce some coursework that related to the actual practice world for the student to take over the traditional exam. this is another way to test the student as i think this is more practical and close to the real industrial world as university is a stage to prepare the student for the furture and not quizing the knowledege of the student. Seminars and workshops reference the lecture notes better. make lectures 1 hour as standard. introduce more of real life pratical experience of each module be done Better tutor feedback on assignments, both courseworks and lab work. provide more resources such as computers and materials required by cources. provide more tutorial/seminar time in which questions can be answered in depth etc I find no fault. make sure that any relevant information is posted on the inet to help students learn, this is not always the case with some lecturers.. sometimes those lecturers who use OHP notes cannot put anything on the Inet, so anyone missing a lecture etc will lose out on anything said Practical or hands on learning 118 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS more books and copies of books avaialble in library to cover areas in more detail. the practcal side of art is time consumming. They have to be realistic of what can be done in a set time frame remember we have to fit in critical studies. Spread assessments out, maybe more online and not just on site. sort out the inet into a more structured format - just now we cant tell when new documents have been uploaded or revised. Facilitate small group seminars where importance is placed on participatory discussions rather than listening to a lecture delivered over 3 hours to a class of 250+. This method can feel impersonal and intimidating resulting in people in the lecture holding back from voicing their thoughts/ ideas. A combination of both lectures followed by separate seminar discussions is perhaps more effective than lectures alone. Provide resources, for example books (latest editions) and provide study areas in the library where it is absolute quiet including computer areas. This was very disappointing. make it more interesting and enjoyable, somehow Improved facilities, e.g. desks and rooms. More tutorial teaching Q15. Can you suggest any other new uses of technology that could enhance your learning experience? If technology is supposed to help in the learning experience the academic staff need to be proficient users of it! The possibility to find lectures you've missed in the Inet. Computers appropriate to the needs of the PhD student, with the software they require. Have most of the exams online, on secured machines in the RGU for example, but no more paper. Workshops being made available on line to users out with the uni intranet Wireless networks withn buildings would allow for easier use of internet on campus. No. Perhaps more interactive lectures or more visually interesting lectures. For example a lecture could be supplemented by a video. Being able to take part in a lecture via a video conference link video, or audio live communication make lectures interesting!!! -video conferencing -more up to date computer hardware and software. -colour printer for my course's use Access to other University learning material. Perhaps a joint university knowledge database none on top of my head at the moment Video conferencing to smaller groups of students ( better learning environment) open library on-line and every kind of journal parpers could be found in it. 119 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 use of personal laptops that can be hooked up to the univ system multiple choice tests on inet after each formal lecture Cannot think of any at this time I expect that Wi-Fi could aid in that area, allowing laptop users to remain mobile, while working with university material. greater use of video conferencing to discuss with respected lecturers and designers. more online tutorial type exercises and more questions that would be exam type in order to prepare us for exams As a student nurse, some knid of software where there's an online patient, thus we can practise treatment, diagnosis and assesment. The software can tell us what we've done wrong or right and what should we do. more internet, computer based exams. written exams are unfair, and have no benefit for students. basing a semester's education on a couple of hours is not only unfair, its stupid. Better teaching of various computer programmes. The DL "lectures" could be delivered on video. WiFi network access for students within RGU - many of us bring laptops to support out learning. VPN to allow us to securely access all university resources from home - NetStorage isn't fantastic and there are areas of the intranet we can't access from home. mobile phone reminders for changes in times of lectures. Sometimes a change of lecture time or a lecture cancellation can be at very short notice so a text message would be preferable to an email. Virtual lectures - which could be repeated if points were not picked up first time around. recorded on video and replayed on the inet. good for distant learning - good idea ? Virtual lectures so you can view them again and again. Re-design the inet to make it more user friendly for obtaining materials and uploading them. interactive online learning could be good, if interesting and a line of contact for problems. Interactivity could be with online program alone or as part of an online group (with real time vidio links)were the knowledges is accumaltated and all are able to access (online classroom but only less intimitating to speak out..maybe). Interactive games like soccer manager, where you would for ex. construct a bridge and oversee all problems which might arise. online chat/forum sounds like a good idea Relevant pages of text books put online??? Virtual interaction with other pupils Access to shared drive from home. Wireless technology to allow laptop users within the campus to use internet and online services from their own laptop. So they don't have to wait until a university machine becomes free. Virtual labs, use of internet to record actual labs for replay Intranet that not was constantly experiancing difficulties! be able to get lectures from home so I didnt need to travel into uni everyday 120 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Perhaps hearing other lecturers from other universities would be interesting and helpful. Video-conferencing would be good for this purpose. As I said before on demand online access via wireless networking accross campus. An alternative method of learning than online for those who have difficulty learning from computers. If I wanted to teach myself from a pc I would do a home study course, not pay to go to university. I would like to be taught by people, not a software package. Audio lectures that you could take home and relisten to as it may help you take in more. Make the software available from the inet, even just a trial version so students can use it in their own time. Record lectures so they can be viewed in "my Office space" at a later date. Stream Lecture live on the net, so they can be viewed from home. Use intranet more for submitting coursework and general everyday use. Computer based training with interactive tutorials - online to allow student asses their individual performance based on the course learding outcomes. Before the introduction of new technology ensure that staff are competent at using the current equipment and not wasting time at the start of each lecture when they attempt to work it in vain. online record keeping ( for medical notes) could be a good thing to know for health science students video streaming lecturers, presentations An increase / improvement in the numbers of digital / audio and computer e.g. (lap-top, voice recording and transcribing)equipment available for short / long term loan within the school. MORE COMPUTERS TO ALLOW COURSEWORK. can't think of anything no Have an online help so if a stdent is working late and there is no lecturers around to help they can go online and type the question in and there is someone there to help no matter what the time because with asking for help from a lecturer they can sometines take days to get back to you for just a simple question. Their should be some home work given to each student to complete and feedback. It must be completed otherwise their should be remarks outomatically for student to check his progress everyday and same should be done with professors to check any time a student if he is doing well. This all should be on internet formet. more digitised texts For tutors to actually answer important emails. Ability to view library books over the internet availability of referencing checking system to students Clearly instant messaging and discussion boards are essential for speed and efficiency of learning. I feel it is very important for education facilites to look into Open Source software and opportunities, which I feel will advance not only technology itself but change people's perception on life it. Accessing the S-drive from computers external to the university computers. i.e.Woolmanhill. 121 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Teach basic things and then go for using technology. instant messaging. dictaphones made available to students for lectures. An insirational art school. Technology? Bricks? Something that would enable successful copies of powerpoint lectures. As sometimes the slides are shown too fast to be written by hand. Through intra-net, that is, community gruop between tutor and student for all levels(subjects) For me, RGU's learning facilities are praiseworthy and I cannot think about anything else that can be done. DVD's Online subject/module testing with real-time feedback A web based self-service system witch is able to manage my study plans and activities.... more online examinations and the ability to practice these at home Video links with other Universities, joint tutorials (Globalisation) when doing work on line I would be shown virtually what I was doing wrong The inet could be improved. I only use it to download notes but would like to use it to obtain general information such as important dates etc. (instead of looking at the notice board for my course) more video recording with feedback and groupwork presentations where the group is committed! its useless for the university to provide the latest technology to the students, i would say its a waste of money. i would suggest that deserving students must be given opportunities in companies which specializes in the area of the students' interest. Improve the ease to access databases with e.g. full text articles. ensure they work effectively more online discussion groups appropraite to the course for disucssing the subject with other classmates more lecturers able to use power point and putting notes on intranet. no, prefer to be taught by a person not a computer more regular module related updates to the Inet, for example a bulletin board or a forum. the intranet is an excellent idea but at present does not seem to be being used by all tutors or to its full extent vidio and audio chat for knowledge transfer which is unfortunately not available because of the fire wall. On line lecture notes. eLectures If lectures could be accessed or issued as CD this would aid revision process prior to exams 122 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS video linking to home better access to journals and research info I'm a big fan of the inet and the fact that we can download notes. Perhaps it would be good if the subjects had an online "learning room" where students from the same year and course can logon to talk and help each other. I also feel that there is a lesser number of computers than I would like. This makes preparation for assessments difficult as there is not always enough to go round. More web based course work. subscribe to more online journals as it is annoying to search for information for a long time only to find out that it is subscription only. At the moment most of the materials on the virtual campus are just word, powerpoint or adobe acrobat files. Which even low are valuable as resource are not exciting. Should a vitual learning enviroment not be one in which dynamic and eye cacthing learnig aids interact with the students like asp pages. An area where students wish to go learn and not one where they have to go to download those notes they have lost. I am personally dislexic so i find it quite hard to keep up with lectures whilst writing notes on what they lecture is saying. Instead of giving every studient with diffiucties a recorder of their own it might prove more resorce full if when the lecture is using a microphone in lectures just to record what they are saying then put it on the inet for these pupils. I would not advise this for the use of all studients as it may encorage them not to attend lectures at all. However some students may greatly improve their grades if they could keep up with the lectures. THE WIDESPREAD USE OF LAPTOPS Better access to all the intranet and online resources from outside the university. Less downtime and faster connections. Where is this new wireless broadband we keep getting told about? The aim of a degree is to get graduates a job, so the university should employ all the technology industry uses. examples of new technology should be in the university so students can build on it, perhaps better them. Example essays/exam papers online. Software for referencing and data analysis Read and Write software readily available video conferencing On line turorials for long distance travellling students Continued development of the i-net. It is very useful possible create a video feed to lectures if you are ill or anythin you can still see the lecture or tutorial. online lectures. web conferencing Computerised patient scenarios. interactive subject specific data bases (ie psycology, social philosophy ect) back ground music at lunch time. fire drill experience.access to jym at lunchtime or any 123 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 time. Online library. i.e. the ability to access and view all books online. Start scanning! no, i feel too much emphasis is placed on technology already, particularly as my course doesn't really require it. virtual reality For the moment, i think that the uni already gave me quite a lot of technology facilities that helped me to carry on with my studies. Online library of ebooks? An online induction pack with regularly asked questions by students when beginning a course. Availability of some CBTs. Video conferencing with other countries Other microsoft packages Computer based simulations of practical techniques. More online collaboration facilities for group working. Video link to other unis or instituitions where we will probably end up working in. To work all the time No. Is technology the 'be all and end all'??? People have feelings and needs. More personal contact should be encouraged, in my opinion. People relate to people, don't they? examinations done on the computer and not paper based with lots of writing WiFi hotspots around University to allow students who have a laptop to use them effectively which would in turn free up IT resources for those who dont own a laptop. As journals become an intergal part if the learning experince it maybe an idea to teach students hoe to access these effectively on-line from the start of the course. 1) provide access to the oil-giants (or the suitable industries for the corresponding field) papers, tabels, logs, information which will educate the student about the current scenario. 2) Use internet during the class & lectures to provide the examples or to let people understand the data. The idea of getting feedback from coursework is long overdue but there has to be a better way than using the carbon copies. Surley this defeats the point in having the inet. At one point niether the lecturers (once i tracked them down 25mins later) or admin had any copies of the particular one i was wanting. The receptionist even tried to deny that the uni kept blank ones but i did not belive this to be true so kept at her until i got one. This the kind of thing i find unnaceptable considering how much money i pay the uni. Also what is the deal with forcing students to microsoft products, in particular Internet Explorer. There are some major disply errors when using Mozilla (netscape) to access the inet from home and when i asked the IT department i was told they dont care cause uni is based on MS system and active X controls. The university should know better than anyone the risks of online security especially in the shoddy browser that is IE. Think of all the international students that use the machines on campus. I definetly do not ever access secure information from on campus. Purchase sufficient licences for software packages. Purchase industry relevant software. i.e software that is actually used in industry. 124 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS more online assessments as i enjoy doing them as the feedback is good Some lecturers put their lecture notes on the inet. Others don't. This should be common practice. Video conferencing would be ideal for when the weather is bad and it is difficult to travel and also for occasions where you are too ill to travel and you could watch the lecture from home and not miss anything. more colour printers in the library Recording of leacutres video conferencing, 24 - 7 feedback, Artificial Inteligence (A.I) virtual tutorials or lecutres, recomendations of further study sources beyond lectures. Specific online tutorials for subjects delivered in the course of the simester Emphasis to students, they must have good computer knowledge prior to undertaking course. some way of making lectures more handsd on for the students, get them involved to hold their attention I think the technology we have, such as being able to print off&look at our lecture notes, is adequate. I do not think that all learning should be electronic.That defeats the purpose i think. the wireless net work as mentioned above as it would allow me to use facilities such as the internet and online journals on campus on my own machine and not have to save work to disk/cd to transfer it or print Unlimited access to lectures especially for module based course where lecturers are only avalable within each module week. Broaden the i net so it can be used to display subject material such as key lectures from lecturers. Video conferencing so that lectures can be viewed at home. Web based discussion groups, access to lecturers online at pre-determined times as a form of personal tutorial. Tutor comments/critiques could be sent by e-mail - perhaps in future work could be submitted in that way also Using the iNET would help. Better search engines for science students e.g. Copernic agent basic(cuts out the dross). Electronic subscription to a greater range of scientific journals would also help. online video-conference and more advanced software and computer,and wireless internet everywhere in university mobile phones - email No, just make sure there are enough decent computers to use. This has been done in St. Andrews Street but not been done in the School of Engineering. I dont think there is currently a need to bring and use new technology to enhance learning experience. All that needs to be done is to use the current technology effectively and add multimedia to presentations. My subject is painting so I would like to see video 'workshops' by important painters, you never get to see good artists at work, we have little information on their techniques. 125 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 MORE BASIC HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT Technology that works! Training for tutors - some were excellent at putting material on inet and some just did not bother. a database which would have a multi pronged approach: 1. data provision 2. data verification None, there is already good technology in place. As previously suggested a 7 days a week link to a lecturer would prove an advantage. it is quite sufficient at the time being Introducing use of softwares on creative thinking will greatly affect the performance of students. No, Internet sources of information should be used as a supplement to university (on campus) delivered courses. How can you deliver a lecture by text message? Recording of tutorials and storing them for future axcess so that students can revist lectures. A good and low cost start will be to record lectures in audio format. This Recording of tutorials and storing them for future axcess so that students can revist lectures. A good and low cost start will be to record lectures in audio format. At Duke University in Durham, North Carolina ,USA ,lectures are audio recorded on digital format and each student is issued with an iPod to listen to the lectures. Easier access to laser printers, digital cameras, scanners etc. I would like my laptop (indeed any home computer) to be able to retrieve information from my H-drive in school, that way when the sytem goes down I dont have to panick. IT department should look into this. online learning WEB CONFERENCES WITH INDUSTRY PERSONNEL AROUND THE WORLD video links to other places of learning to broaden the perspectives and experiences sms messaging to inform of timetable changes CBT / Online training courses. Video lectures & seminars post to url, Virtual learning so course can be completed at individuals rate. Ie some modules may be known and the student could then complete it in days as apposed to a semester, could immerse themselves in the module and complete it. Some of the core reading lists being available on CD to loan, as books tend to go on loan really quickly and I have sometimes struggled to get the reading material I require in time. it would be good if there was a way that we could possibly get quicker feedback from lecturers, or always have a way of contacting them even if they are not on campus. e.g sms more lectures from successeful designers for fourth years. it's inspiring. videoing lectures would help.even on line. perhaps that all tutors are taught how to use the inet effectily. so i am able to gain easier access to my notes because the shared drive notes are difficult and time consuming to find in relation to the i net which is must faster and easier to access from both home and uni. A txt or sms system whereby the cancellation of classes can be advised before students leave from long distances to attend a class which has been cancelled. Only a problem for 126 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS students without the internet at home but this still affects some students and could therefore do with some consideration. have a wireless network in the uni so peolple cld take in there laptops to work saving u moving files around between computers and differant system septups A better range of software available in the labs. software - taking you step by step in a certain subject area like the one for students doing accounts. It could be useful to have an online resource centre for each module. It could perhaps start with the recommended books (on the MUD) and then be added to by students and lecturers as they find useful books, journals, websites, articles, etc. relating to that module. This would give future students a point from which to start their private study. To view technics required in nursing practice before and or during practice sessions. NoI like books, newspapers and journals as you can read them any where-ie waiting for the school bu or on a picnic. more computers specifically for nurses in the health facualty Make sure that the i-net is up and running. RGU will lose out to other schools that can offer better IT service. Interactive learning software - I'm sure that in the future it'll be possible to design software that really involves the student in learning and gives better results than regular class teaching. Provide I T skills training as integral part of degree Perhaps video confrencing materials to aid lectures. Provide quiz test online so students can test their knowledge before exam and know what to focu on. to be able to send ones work such as assignments or eassys to tutors especially when at placements. RGU embrace technology too much. Nothing like good old fashioned human interaction and teaching. computer screen is too cold and impersonal. The use of C.A.L packages has been a great help and would be beneficial in the future. Making sure the computers and printers that you have work. Fiscal alliances between institutions to create super- universities with shared electronic assets accessible to all accredited subscribers (students, faculty, etc.) If not, UK education is doomed. Compatability and communocation. The former to ensure the technology actually works and without communication there is no learning. making relevant information more readily available on the i net The use of audio & video confrencing facilities. access to very good tutorials Google desktop has revolutionised access to copies of journal extracts stored on my own computer. This has increased there value and effective use enormously what i read earlyer on messenger and conference on internet, i think that could work as 127 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 my course has brain storming, and that might work over the internet if everyone on the course was in same room, giving each other ideas, or solving problems together The use of online assessments NO. LIKE I SAID ABOVE, THE USE OF THE PRESENT ONES SHOULD BE IMPROVED UPON. similar searching engine to google will be very helpfull. Now the data bases liks are available but it is very difficult to get your stuff, because of the searching criteria is not wild. Many people are using google so I think RGU may be paying for websites without use. Try to find the a way through the technology to "learning from example" computer skills too much IT already Guns: to threaten staff with so that they actually take notice when you tell them "This isn't good enough" virtual practice placements when teaching techniques so can see the effectiveness and outcome of the topic being taught at that time. Video Conferencing Instant e-mail help desk or access to specific person/s to assist with simple queries on how to use the inter/intranet. As previous. Being able to navigate better on the web. BY PROVIDING TEACHING AT INDIVIDUAL PACES, NOT ALL STUDENTS ARRIVE AT UNIVERSITY FULLY COMPUTER LITERATE Blackberries could be given to each pupil so that they could access there emails in their pockets. Or a system that allows people to access ther emails via mobile phone. online library i can print from - meaning no photocopying more articles with full text on ovid, often article of interest was not available in full text No in the degree course i am studing. No tecnical substitute is reasonable in relationship to this course improve virtual learning The use of mobile technology to deliver lectures and answer questions.(e.g. mobile phones, PDAs, etc.) As I am still in the process of discovering my technology skills I feel I am unable to answer this at present. As I am still in the process of discovering my technology skills I feel I am unable to answer this at present. Video & audio conferencing. Video lectures. More access to articles online without having to go to library, and to be able to submit assignments online like the OU more study cases and example in media format 128 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS On line tests e.g. multiple choice to test learning Allow lectures to be recorded and put on internet or availible on request the faculty should have or may introduce a new internet link with other universities. we can have our own exhibition web page online as well. this will allow student from other universities to view our work,and on the other hand if other universities do provide a web page for their student exhibition, this might be a good learning place or web page that can let us got a different idea what other people are doing. we even can have a small discussion corner in the web page to allow student around the world to give cmment or ask question. music and film One American Uni were giving all new students Ipod's to recoed their lectures on so they could play them back later and take better notes of what teh lecturer said. Some form of recording teh lecture would be agreat help as there is not always time to not everything said by the lecturer when in class Knowledge testing online could be helpful, to allow me to assess my learning as I go along. Audio notes mp3 format Q16. Any other comments What on earth is the point on sticking a gadget on the doors of C306 etc requiring the use of a swipe card and then refusing to let students have a swipe card ??????? I'm on a computing course and I ***need*** into that room !!!!!!!!! Courses need to be indepth enough for students to gain a proper grasp of their chosen field, many areas are often skimmed over, due to the modular structure of courses. I personally thought the handling of the work placement programme was a catastrophy. I have visited Napier University and they have notice boards dedicated to their Industrial Placement. This contains a list of jobs available and contact details of how to apply. I did not appreciate getting kept in the dark with regards to what companies were available to apply for. <Name withheld> held our CV's and sent them out to selected companies that he decided. I feel Napier's process seems much more efficient. Decrease the fees for the overseas student. It seems so unfair, and unjustified to let them pay so much more. I hope that University ecucation does not become an online process as the best part of Uni is meeting and interacting with different people. One major downfall I have found with this year is that the students are constantly being used as guinea pigs in the courseworks and exams. For two of my exams this semester we have been told there is no point looking at past papers as the exam is a new format. This is very unhelpful and adds a lot of added stress due to not knowing what to expect. A format for everything should just be decided and not changed. How can someone getting their degree this year be the same as someone from last year, every degree seems to be different as the years go on. Quality education first , technological advancement second This questionnaire really isn't appropriate for PhD students. Hence a lot of questions not answered as really not applicable. Sorry! This questionnaire really isn't appropriate for PhD students. Hence a lot of questions not answered as really not applicable. Sorry! Contact time with lecturers and with other students is an essential element of education - 129 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 particularly so for younger students and for students on vocational courses. Contact enhances scope for learning and helps develop personal qualities which may be essential for future integration within a professional environment. The potential offered by technology is immense but it must be grounded by the element of personal contact. Video conferencing should be developed more so that more people can see lectures The announcement of exam timetables should be made much earlier than now. I am saying this on behalf of international students. I ended up paying quite a lot more for my airline ticket to home and back due to the late announcement of the exam dates. I would appreciate the notification of the exam dates to be at least a (1) month earlier than last time just for the sake of saving the money and patiens of international and U.K stodents going for hollidays via airtravel. too many tech problems with rgu. need to sort this out as people lose trust in the syste, I think I've said enough. It seems that RGU has lost sight of it's core customers - the people who are studying NOW. Most plans, while being fantastic and beneficial to students, won't be implemented for another few years meaning no current students will benefit which is unfair as we are missing out when compared with other universities such as Glasgow Uni. RGU wins out on course choice but not much else right now. I do, however, always welcome the option to give feedback so thank you for that! Workplacements are a problem. Don't do away with exams they are good, and prove you can learn all the topics and remember most of them. Courseworks are good - for programming and designing prototypes. My learning experience at this university has been very interesting. As of yet, some of the learning situations (eg seminars) I have not encountered. online learing would be useful for some courses, but not many others. The face to face commnication i.e. during brainstorming exercises can only be acheived around others.It might be cheaper to work online, but this is not suitable for a degree program where you are developing a professional (within the public eye at times). Also it could be demoralising without the symbol of buildings. Overall things are good with the learning environment although I feel that more hands on work would help back up the in class lessons. I feel that even though online learning could be popular to alot of people there will still be those who wish to actually attend university. For some, university is not just for study but also for the social learning experience, making friends etc. I do not feel the the need for this will reduce in later years. However,I think having the posibility of studying a degree online is a good one and would open doors for a alot of people whom otherwise may not be able to study. I could comment on quite a lot of issues however I am studying for an exam tomorow but would be willing to elaborate at a later date. It is essential to still have the support of the lecturers especially when contemplating a new subject matter, just to clarify issues, however once you understand the subject it is easier and more convenient to study from home, no hassle, no travelling, no boring pointless lectures. I think the main structure for teaching in a University should be altered for the future to adopt an approach similar to the style used in Colleges - in particular like Aberdeen College (at which I graduated a successful HND student). This style allows for maximum knowledge gain through a 'teaching a topic then practising it' approach - it is the way in which we assimilate information naturally. I have found the University system to be very 'traditional' to the point of being elitist - I have heard many times being said when I 130 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS challenge the teaching system that "We don't want to hold your hand" to which my reply is "I don't want my hand held, I want to be taught and ultimately to understand". I came to University from College hoping that I would broaden my knowledge base in Computing and gain further skills useful in industry. Sadly I learned a great deal more in College and find University disappointing. I find most lecturers try to be helpful but most consider that a system they worked through must be fine as it seemingly worked for them - but they haven't attended other types of further education institutions. In Computing Lab work is very important for skill learning but I found the CM3006 and CM2020 courses (the only ones I had with labs) to be disappointing. It is mostly reading bad notes on monotonous tasks with no satisfaction at completion. This would be better structured to allow a project style approach to give students something to work towards and achieve a sense of accomplishment upon completion. I like the inet with the personalised work space, this is a very good example of how i think technology can support learning. Obviously it is good to offer a choice of online learning to people who can not make it into the set time classes but i would not like to see this replace university study as it is today I feel that online learning will become more utilized in the future but people also like the social aspect of comming to university, meeting and talking to thier peers. That can not be replaced by online access to courses. Also practical skills cant be taught by distance learning. You really need to handle and practice rather than watch. I have recently completed a course where one part it was delivered solely online. I did not enjoy this experience at all, people pay to study at the University and the interaction that it involves, not to receive a course online with no lectures or tutorials and no sign of a teacher online learning is ok but i find a bit of paper some times easier to use and is more portable Although I am a Masters student, my assessment of current benefits is based on experience of pre-Masters course modules. I expect that my assessment would change after experience of the course itself. Although there are a few questions that can be answered on this questionnaire, in the main my answers are not truly representative of my experiences. My studies are at the PhD stage where there is a greater emphasis on independant study and learning, significantly different to that of an undergradute programme and its mode of delivery and teaching and learning experiences. I feel that this questionnaire is too generic to be applied appropriately to ALL students with varying experiences of the teaching and learning environment at whatever stage they study at. It may be more beneficial to design seperate questionnaires for under and postgraduate students to reflect their course/study/learning experiences. Thank you. I DON'T THINK PEOPLE CAN FULLY BENFIT FROM LEARNING ONLINE. ESPECIALLY IN PHARMACY, THERE HAS TO BE PEOPLE/ PATIENT CONTACT. I've never been to Univeristy before but was expect to have a certainly level of understand on how the University operated jsut because I was attending a post-graduate course. I'm also part-time and not in student accomodation so wold not pcik up this information in the normal way a full-time student would. I've never been to Univeristy before but was expect to have a certainly level of understand on how the University operated jsut because I was attending a post-graduate course. I'm also part-time and not in student accomodation so wold not pcik up this information in the normal way a full-time student would. Student should be assured about their future prospectus, for the studies they are carrying on with. more checked "homework" 131 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 I feel that shared knowledge is the only true knowledge, and that only things will progress if a positive, progressive bias is taken on boards for all challanges, where everyone's opinion must respected and considered. Studing in the university is the biggest mistake of my career. One is forced to think as to what is the contribution of the university. To me its sheer drain of money. I wish there was better organisation throughout the course. There was agreement and continuity on how courses are marked and that this process is explained to the students. Better lines of communication with students and tutors and good time management with regards to assessments. When applying for the course it should be made clear the cost of materials etc throughout the course. I would like to say I am a nursing mature student and wanted to do this for a long time however I would like to say the teaching and training at RGU is to much theory and not enough practical .which means it is really scary to think you might qualify as an uncompetent nurse due to the lack of training. there is more to nursing than essay writing and being able to reference.we want to be good hands on competent nurses stop and look at the schools is it really providing an effective method of learning? Forget technology, try improving grass root learning. DO NOT RUN BEFORE YOU CAN WALK!!!!!! Overall I have enjoyed the course work. I much prefer the enquiry based learning, within small classes instead of large lectures. Also assignments and essays Great improvement so far. Hope to make use of the experiences in the developing countries if given opportunity. I think it would be convenient always to have one copy of each book on shelf only for consultation so one can use it within the library any time in case of emergency (actually I never had such an emergency so I am not sure may be it is in fact available) work place support is very good but the academic support is very poor and this is as a mature student so god help the young ones. It comes as no suprise that the drop out rate in the school of nursing is so high Make a general timetimetable of 6 hour slots for 6 subjects. Start lectures at 5 past the hour and finish them at 5 to the hour. This will prevent delays of congestion and gives students 10 mins to move between classes. Lecturers can book a double period if necessary. This will help stop room shortages as most people book 4 hrs and only use 2! As I have mentioned, I believe that more hands on clinical placements are the best areas to improve a students learning capabilities, especially for someone who has never been in a clinical setting before. I think having the first semester of first year filled with Business courses at the Business School isn't a very well thought out idea. Some students at the business school are doing courses that have little to do with Finance or Economics (eg, Publishing, Journalism) and aren't very capable at the subject. Having at least one course specific to the entire course would make it much easier. I feel I have been supproted well at RGU but would have benefited more from a drop in cetre for engineering students I dont believe the virtual campus is of any use to full time students who attend uni. I can see its benefits for distance learning or night class students, however, I hardly used the system atall for a module which was based on it. Students that did use the virtual campus did so because they thought they had to although they did not benefit from it. I have found taught skills such as reflection and role play very helpful. Skills laboratory good but not enough of it. i think some of the lecturers should be more explanatory when delivering a lecture, they 132 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS assume we understand what they read from the notes, there should be more questions from the lecturers and more participation from the students. Tutorials very beneficial the lecturers are helpful during these sessions. I feel we shouldn't have to pay so much for the use of paper at university, since printing our lecture notes is the only way we can obtain them. there is a site at www.socialwork-students.com which is helpful in my opinion - a similar chat site forum at rgu online especially if lecturers participated would be appreciated i think my course needs better communication between the lecturer and class, sometimes we dont get told stuff we should know. want to learn more about design instead of doing a self-directed project for the whole year - would like work experience to make sure design is something i want to do as a career I'm happy with the space and encouragement that my tutors have provided with me throughout my studies. Can't complain. I sometimes find it most annoying, when we are assigned a certain assignment and the guidelines which corispond are given two or three days before. surely it would be more beneficial to the student if these were given at the beginning of each module. To ensure the studnet is adopting the correct studying strategies. I VERY MUCH ENJOY MY COURSE AND STUDYING AT RGU Some of the questions were a little difficult to answer, since PhD study does not involve many of the sessions or environments mentioned in Q4 or 5, for example. Perhaps a 'non applicable' option might have been useful? The mentoring system is very poorly monitored in my opinion. Useless mentors educating the nursing staff of the future is not a good idea. Mentors should have at least each year a day of study and development in educating students. If the wards or NHS are not willing to pay for it then the university should. 50% of our marks are from external placements. We should have a high quality system there just as we have in the university academic system. Overall RGU teches very well. I understand the need to keep up with other universities, but I don't think distance learning is an option, rather more hands on and money spent on gettin examples of technology. I have enjoyed my learning experience tremendously but I feel that consideration should be made towards long distance travellers and the timetable be designed more sympathetically with this in mind. A very common theme that appears in our student conversations is the large disparity between lecturers rules/way of doing things. They most certainly don"t adhere to academic regulations, for example word counts in assigments. Why do we get marked down for poor referencing when they don"t provide clear referencing in class or lecture notes? They need to set a good example! Practice what you preach! I think all my lectures are given to us is a good order so that the subjects flows. It is broken down for everybody to understand. RGU is one of only a few Unis where lecture notes are made available on-line. This is a big plus point I have also been disappointed with level of services provided by some staff at RGU who appear to be less that professional. This applies mostly to the younger staff who I have found incompetant in some cases and rude in others. For example: I requested of the course administrator that a room be booked so that my group could meet to discuss our strategy for a presentation, I was told that a request had been sent through but it was unlikely that a response could be given until 2 days time and that I may not get a room at all. I asked whether it would be better to contact directly the person who books the room and was told that there would be no point as I don't have the 133 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 influence that "she" had. I ignored this advice and booked the room directly with success. the course i am on - computing and information - is not what i thought it was. i feel mislead and would never have chosen this course if knew what it was really going to involve. i feel more tutorials with lectures input would benefit more as i feel you learn better by actually doing something rather than sitting listening. I think a lot of important social and interactive skills are learnt through attending university and virtual learning will elimate this. univ to intervine if not allowed time off for study in work place to reduce stress levels in an effective way and not leave it solely to the indivudal nurse all alone. I disagree that exams are the best way to learn. in some subjects they are relevent but in architecture they are a farse! just a memory test! they detract time and effort from course work where so much more can be learnt. it is so easy to integrate exam sylabis into project and studio work. Someone at the top needs to stand up and take note. Have a bit of courage to make changes instead of cowering in an office deliberating. it will be to the benefit of all! It sometimes seems that the courses are trying to change for the sake of change, something new and everybody is on the bandwagon! The internet age and computers are all very brilliant and good, but fallible and impersonal, they lack subjectivty and reason and they cannot hold an interesting conversation with you about your work! However, there are many aspects of learning which can be accomplished online, but many that cannot. The online learning experience has to be enhanced and complemented by discussions and interaction with your student peers and tutors. Surely, the university experience is about more than just a degree. A future where all students are stuck in their own homes in front of a pc is hardly comparable to getting together in the library, lectures, tutorials and then the Union! i feel that i learnt best through courseworks. i do not believe exams to be an effective method to assess someone's knowledge of a subject, all you test is how well they cope under pressure and how good their memory is basically i'm implying that perhaps too much emphasis is placed on technology and academia. Again the job i am training to do is practical, my course should reflect that. In a recent lecture, a lecturer used the white board to display some information. This was pointless as I struggled to read the information and would have done so even if I was sat at the very front. I could have missed vital information. Using an OHP or something to display the information would have enabled everyone to see. i do not have any studios or workshops, so i did not give a grade for any of the questions regarding the matter. Other than that, about courseworks. I believe that students are struggling with courseworks and things. I agree that there are a lot of courseworks but normally i get to know stuff thru courseworks where i get a feeling or a click of understanding when i got the coursework back. Of course this happens when i get good marks. But nevertheless, for me, courseworks make me read more and absorb more rather than listening in a lecture because i tend to be on and off when listening to lectures. However, lectures are good when i am relaly paying attention. Its just my own situation. it might be different for other people. Anyway, hope this helps....thanks.. Again just to emphasize that part time evening students don't always have access or know how to access the intranet and e-mail systems. This information is not available easily out of hours. Although the emphasis in future may be for on-line learning, there should be a recognition that some students find it difficult to learn on-line or do not like learning on-line (or even from other PC based materials) Overall I rate the academic services provided quite high. 134 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Definately more work place support and after graduation advice or career advice, more job preparation also. less notaice bords more e-mailing I think that in almost every class, tutorial, lecture or seminar, students should be given the opportunity to voice or write down their comments on methods of learning and teaching. Endless questionnaires have limited value, where they are not answered honestly or carefully enough. The quality of knowledge delivered via online, constrained by the limitation of this special means of communication may be an issue for the popularity of online learning. 1) give more hours of lecture. 2) provide individual assessment. 3) more course-work & assinments rather than one work in one year. 4) Reduce the class-strength from 30 to 10 in a cohert. 5) distribute the hours throught-out the year. Not one week crash courses.... which are useless for students. not a big fan of online study etc. think its lazy and discorages people to get out there and see things. the best sources are not found on the internet! I feel that curremtly the university provides well for my learning experiences, however I do not know how this will change as I continue through my time at university. Nothing annoys me more than having to drive for up to fifty minutes in rush hour to come to uni for lecture from 9, 9:10-9:50 then drive home again. If classes like this were moved to 10 much less petrol would be used and the length of lecture wqould exceed travelling time. I consider this important as tuition fees go up and up every year but hte uni does not get any better. In fact the students are lumbered with more and more costs to the point where lecturers dont even turn up with the right amount of notes. i am really enjoying my course although it is always changing and i like the new online assessments There is so much more to University for young students than learning the subject chosen. Life skills, communication, sport, sex, drinking, making friends, finding new hobbies, finding love etc. I feel that thermofluids on my course was a joke, there was 4 lectures for thermofluids, each lecturing a topic each, one week we would have one lecture and the next week we would have another lecture for another topic. Needed to do more tutorials in class so that we get a better understanding of the topic and time to ask the lecturer questions. Other students that i have spoken to has said the same, some are writing a letter to the head of Engineering Department for this to be looked into. RGU's fees are far higher than other UK universities for a lot of courses and I feel that this is this way due to the fact that it can exploit the fact that it is the main business school outside strathclyde uni and practically the only business school in north of scotland. I think rgu is getting a bad reputation for taking anyone in just to get fees, and I think the quality of staff is often poor - it is one thing taking in field professionals but when these people have absolutely no desire to be academics, it is quite difficult for us to learn from them. RGU are always finding cheaper ways to do things, even though they compromise learning in the process. i started at uni to improve myself personaly and professionally i feel online learning is not for me as i enjoy the social side very much meeting new friends and prospective work mates. I am really enjoying my learning at RGU and feel it offers me a wide range of skills and opportunities to learn. 135 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Motivation - the younger students would need to be motivated so they would do their course from home/online. my comments are based on my experience as a distance learning student although i think learning online will shortly become the norm, and this has many benefits, i feel study in university gives the 'personal touch'. also, for practical subjects i can't invisage learning online alone. The course I am completing at present has extremely knowledgeable and helpful tutors who are easy to contact. However, I feel that one of the modules we were provided with online for the distance learning had been adapted for this particular course in a rushed fashion. Some of the concepts were not explained to the extent needed to complete the coursework and I constantly had the feeling that I had missed a lecture! I think some of these modules could be read over by someone who does not know the subject, and beefed up a little so they aren't as scary to students first starting the course. I am enjoying my experience at RGU, think there could be more done for preperation of essay writing though, in the terms of referencing etc! So far my learning experience has been brillant. I think that rgu have set vey high standards. Course structure should be improved, especially 3rd year. Possibly through greater emphasis on time management issues in 1st and 2nd year. Firstly, since I am a masters student, I have yet to use all of the facilities offered by RGU. Online learning is no real substitute for Lecturer based interactions, as I learn a great deal from the lecturers past experiences, such as comments made while lecturing. You must realise that a lecturer will have spent a great deal of their life devoted to the subject and tapping that huge resource is more efficient and effective than all the self study and book work in the world. University is a substitute for experience, as a Student I feel I can better my time here by tapping the experience of others while familiarising myself with the theories and covering the essential points of my chosen subject. I have previously learned more from a single conversation with an experienced scientist than i have in a whole year of listen, learn, repeat style examinations. It is my firm belief that Universities will endow their students with better prospects, if they concentrate on basic theory and the application of it. This would include real-life problem solving based on prior experiences, especially for the field of science. Universities must also allow sufficient budget for the provision of online access to journals. Increasingly, many tutors will not accept written work, so it is easier to manipulate information when contained in electronic form, it is also a great deal easier to track your list of sources and avoid plagiarism. Accessing web resources is also a great deal faster and more efficient than trawling through a manual text, as with increasingly better search technologies, it is ever easier to pinpoint your specific area of interest within large texts. It is this students humble opinion that peer grading and the like is thoroughly worthless, as most students will have the stick together mentality and try and ensure that all students are graded equally. In addition, grading by someone who has no more qualifications than I do, is very easy to fool, bullshit goes further. I have a tendency to avoid doing work in the library, as simply put, I have more technology available to me at home, so the more sources I have available to me online and on the computer the better off students such as myself will be. Hope this wasn't too long and boring for ya :D, toodle pip i think this is a good questionnaire about learning at RGU and i hope the comments made by it will be put into consideration. i think it a shame that my course has not really changed and improved since it first started, however, it is good to know that now in 1st yr more academic lessons are being taught. i hope more changes will be made such as history of art being taught along with each subject, more lessons on materials and CAD, lectures providing info on the craft etc. It would be nice for RGU because its based in the oil capital of Europe to increase her ties 136 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS with the hundreds of industries operating from here. In that way, students can benefit more from the possibilities of being exposed to real life situations. As it stands, apart from the library, the university offers a superb learning experience. The quality of staff is very high and they provide students with the best they can offer in terms of time and materials. The challange is to keep pace with the drive to online learning. It would improve learning beyond anything previously offered if unversities could pool resourses and allow lectures from key staff to be available online. For example on my course the lectures given by Colin Keenan are inspirational and very informative. The benefits of his lectures should be spread over universities as a whole. I am sure other departments have people of the same quality as will other universities. Instead of students working from limited access to knowledge pooling would open subjects up and increase course potency. Feel that you learn less in large class with others not doing same course I think computer technology is going to be of great importance in the future and that attendance onsite will be less so (lessenning the parking problems perhaps)- though meeting others also studying is very important for peer suport. i do not think that RGU has the correct infrastructure to provide a full online service in the near future(5-10 years, and i also do not think that there will be adequate enhancements in that area. Sorry It seems to me that this desperation to get everybody constantly on computers and computer learning is a way to sve costs for the university by removing paper costs, however one thing which is not addressed is the fact that if you require a hard copy of something it is now the student who has to pay, so the cost is not saved but merely transferred to persons who are living on a shoestring or in large debt anyway- thanks very much. This overriding obsession with branding and maketing reduces students to mere commodities, I understand that this is the climate which the government has created however we as students still remain as human beings even as the university marketing machine forges ahead. Its hard to study in the middle of a construction site. i feel that if we were use the internet more as a source of learning through the university then student nurses could get longer practical placements. the practical placements are too short and if they were longer then student nurses could gain more important skills and knowledge One or two initial classes to introduce the student to the concept of self learning/study, directed learning etc. Not always clear what they are. I feel that i can gain a good amount of knowledge from doing coursework. the more high-tech you go the more problems your going to open up look at the amount of times the server is down, its almost every week. how are people meant to study if they cant access the material, what happens if there is a down time and i have an exam the next day? As above, more visual information on other painters work, perhaps having a pc in the painting studios would help to have a quick look at something on the net. It would be very good if there was an easily accessible database of pictures, painters etc that you could access as you are working. At the moment you have to stop what you are doing and go to the library to rummage through books, when you get back the inspiration has gone. Perhaps the tutors could have a file of pictures that we could access relevant to the project in progress. That would help a lot. I have a hearing problem and could not believe that a brand new state of the art building did not have a pa system in its classes. The air conditioning often drowned out what the tutor was saying, the accustics were abysmal. 137 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 I have asked myself if many of the lecturers actually want students to pass with good grades. It seems many lecturers have a very high opinion of themselves and a pretty low opinion of the student and often present demotivational barriers and comments in the path of learning. Surely it is the responsibility of the University to provide the best opportunity to each student to reach maximum acheivement ? I am a social work distance learning student and i feel the course has been very well organised and managed. I am offered very good support from the Uni, but the support i get from the other distance learning students is equally important. Taking part in tutorials or study groups with the other students is crucial to the completion of this degree. better pastoral care, more established links with the professional world in regard to the student's particular courses Many of these answers apply only to my course, Visual Communication, and I don't feel they would be similar on any other course. It is very difficult for me to answer more general questions like those in question 12, as I have no experience of a more standard way of learning across the majority of courses. My learning experience has no doubt been improved with the facilities RGU has offered me. I'm getting my money's worth in this aspect. However, lecturers need to carry students along. RGU SEEM TO FORGET THAT GOING TO UNIVERSITY IS AS MUCH ABOUT THE QUALIFICATION AS IS WITH SOCIALISING AND MAKING FRIENDS, A KEY SURVIVAL AND ETIQUETTE SKILL NEEDED IN THE REAL WORLD. RGU'S FOCUS ON MAXIMISING MONEY MADE WITH AS LITTLE EFFORT AS POSSIBLE IS LUDICROUS AND FORGETS THAT THE STUDENT AND NOT THEIR MONEY IS KEY TO THE FUTURE. i had faced great problems when the university was closed for christmas vacation. for around two weeks i could not do my coursework research with the computer facility, and i had four submisions in january. if the university could keep a room or couple open during these days, it would be very helpful for students like me. also the timings of the library could be increased. better communication required to inform students of changes to lecture/lab timetable. I disagree with the use of online learning. Having at as a resource is one thing but reducing people contact by having home online learning I think is a step backwards rather than forwards when it comes to learning and producing students with the relevant knowledge they need to develop in their choosen career. In the clinical practice more support from the university is required. To experience more nurse training whilst on wards and less being used as cheep labour by the NHS I found the tick boxes a little difficult - can't really think in terms of one to ten about this sort of thing specially in making predictions! i feel that the course timetable could be more user friendly. i have choosen to do my degree and i feel that i could of completed at least three modules before the christmas break because there seemed to be so much free time. This survey is realy interesting, as it has given me the opertunity to put over my opinion about the use of IT in future for students, I feel strongly though that computers should help and aid learning, but should never take over from lectures, tutorials, I know from my and other people's experience that distant learning isn't all is cracked up to be, it dose'nt work as well as it should, and feel that if the university went down the road to a system where everything was distant learning, it would actualy damage learning dramaticly instead of inhancing it, and all this so that the university could save money!! If you want any more information or clarification feel free to e-mail or arrange a meeting 138 APPENDIX E. STUDENT SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS with me. I will try and voice the student concerns. The use of community groups has been brilliant! doing distance learning course, would find more support from workplace beneficial i.e. more study time I find questionnaires like this difficult. It necessitates the creation of a virtual "me" that I have to insert into my interpretation of my perception of the question. My own experience is that the realisation that education is a greater responsibility for the learner than anyone else and I feel that this aspect is underplayed. Immersion in an active learning community is the greatest thing a University can provide. This is not an easily quantifiable condition. While Universities are chasing the Holy Grail of the RAE private enterprise is moving in. Can I draw your attention to www.animationmentor.com as an example. I found it difficult to equate a number with an opinion about a learning experience, or someone else's experience in 15 years time. I am a self funding distance learning post graduate (degree to be completed in 3 years). It also involves a 19 week student placement which is preferably undertaken on a full-time basis, in order to do this I have to resign from my current post, losing valuable income and work weekends to maintain a contract(otherwise unbroken for 20 years) and earn money. Trying to fit in work, family and study time is stressful, finding any sources of funding has been fruitless. In other words workplace support is zero. It is perhaps because I am only doing a basic BEng Hons degree and not a masters, but I feel that being at university was sometimes too much like being at school again, except without the constant tuition and help that you would get at school. By that I mean that I had thought that being at university would have provided more links with what was going on in the here and now i.e. breaking technologies and new ideas. I had often heard of universities doing their own work on new and innovative subjects and making their own breakthroughs etc. However on this course the course materials and learning subject matter do not appear to reflect what will happen in the future. My learning experience at the university has been good but I know it would have been better if more practical situations were introduced to my programme. As a Postgraduate student of Finance and a worker with over 33 years experience, I figure out that this introduction will enable students relate more to the real life situations than the theoritical aspects alone which do not normally occur. I would like some courses to go more deeper in the subject no only introducction, for introduction we can take a book and try to catch the subject, we need more deep teaching at the university. A good, efficient, professional and well run institution. It enhances learning and also makes it a joy. Mature students tend to be viewed as an unnecessary hindrance I feel that technology can be a great aid in the learning process, but must remain just that - an aid, rather than the main focus of teaching. Personal interaction is essential and promotes the understanding of a subject as well as the enthusiasm involved in learning. As a part-time student, I understand the issues surrounding time management, and for me the intranet is a vital tool, as is my RGU email, but I do also feel that being able to speak to someone about a subject is invaluable. p.s. There are some options in this questionnaire that do not consider part-time students: I am also a Post-Grad student and this is not designed for us.... Whilst new technology undoubtably has great potential to enhance the learning experience, please do not lose the personal contact aspects of courses. I am sure that no two courses with the same title is ever the same. They reflect the interests and backgrounds of those giving and taking the course. I am sure that the interaction between 139 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 students and teachers in lectures, labs and tutorials is a vital part of learning. Need to reduce the gap between real world project situations and threoritcal learning. The institute helps some student to find work experience, which is essential when looking to find a job after university life, however some are not receiving this. Can you explain why? *improve on general facilities - xerox & Gpass machines always out of service and the respond to fixed it very slow (scot sutherland school) *not enough printer to use and the colour printer is too expensive The iNet is just the latest in a long line of tools which are used by lecturers to remove some of their responsibility. It's an absolute disgrace that students should have to pay for their notes. This should surely be covered by tuition fees. Especially as the whole thing is completely flawed. Q10 distance learning student I spend at least 2hours most nights studying only attending in the first year 3 5 day blocks at rgu. I note that a lot of my answers don't mark much of a difference between now and the future. How can we suggest what the future brings without some hints from yourself? Feel there is a huge need to educate students to question the negative side of all this new technology/ information available "on line" (internet sources etc) "Just because it's on the computer doesn't make it true!" Students have to be made aware of the unreliability of some the resources,and of the inaccuracy of a lot of the information available. Basically anyone can put anything on the internet - and ultimately a huge amount of the material "studied" by students online is absolute rubbish! I fear I'm too old for this questionnaire contact with fellow students, in my art course, has been invaluable - information technology cannot compete with that Computers are still a bit new to older students and even the most basic tasks that young people can do, are often a puzzles to those of us who come late to the techno age. We are often nervous of asking in case we appear ridiculous to others (in the know) I am a distance learner Practical skills are more effectively learned on clinical placement. Would enjoy at least one day either weekly or monthly on the ward with a sister tutor rather than waiting until the next block of placement comes around. We need to learn more people skills in relation to patients and relatives. do the IT thing take the University forward if you don't another University will be sure of that. I along with many colleagues have been very disappointed in the inconsistancy between markers, in the same subject, whilst marking assessments, accross many of my courses. It is a privilage studying in RGU and if given the opportunity I would wnat to explore more in terms of study in RGU. Thanks alot As this is a new experience for me and only finished my 1st semester I am very happy with the facilities and the level of teaching. I would hope at the end of my second semester that I will be able to comment more indepth on the questions I feel unable to at the moment. As this is a new experience for me and only finished my 1st semester I am very happy with the facilities and the level of teaching. I would hope at the end of my second semester that I will be able to comment more indepth on the questions I feel unable to at 140 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS the moment. course materials are well structured and up-to-date. However, most recommended reading materials are difficult to get.Also students should have accounts with the finance department where they can acess their accounts in terms of fees they have to pay or check balances on their account. I did not enjoy the lectures in the night 6pm-9pm.Unless it can not be avoided, morning and afternoon to me are a more conducive periods for lectures while the evening time can be for relaxtion and personal study. I have had to install internet access in my home which is costing money which I can ill afford as a lone parent. I feel that this is an added pressure financially which detracts from the course as I have yet another bill to pay, not to mention the need to buy a computer. I believe that the university is particularly disorganised which is highly unproffessional for a 'business' school. I know most of the other schools never have problems but most of the time we do not know what is going on. We don't get told things, our courseworks often go missing, we dont get told anything until the last minute and it gets irritating after a while, it seems that priority is given to foreign students. If a friend/relative asked for my opinion on rgus business school the one worded response would be disorganised and i know many other students would agree with me. The social space at the school is very badly designed and located. Discussion and meeting new students/people is very important as a learning experience. The school and the university in general is very lack and poor in promoting students interaction and intergration through learning. have already done so I did a first degree with the OU and have experience of full-time further education too, so the contribution my current course is making is to my professional knowledge, whereas undergraduates may have more need of learning and basic skills. My experience of distance learning with OU was very positive as they are extremely well organised. My experience with RGU has been less positive with regard to logistics such as timetabling, which for mature part-time students is a real hassle. However, the face to face contact with students and lectures is more suitable for me just now, so I have opted not to study on a distance basis. I am not an average student therefore please don't pay too much attention to the hours of study. I am part time and since there is, currently, only 1 part time course available in the Aberdeen area there isn't much of a selection. I believe Distance and Online learning could be a major benefit to people in my situation or similar. Online learning could be ideal for flexibility in a 'time-squeezed' society and where every generation is becoming more computer literate. However, I believe, we must remember that sometimes human interaction is the best way to judge someone's development. I work in an organisation where it has become culture to e-mail the person in the next room, this is something that has been highlighted and is being tackled as it has lead to a lack of communication. A balance of the two would be ideal but I don't think it would benefit future generations to purely learn Online as this can seriously hinder social skills. 141 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Appendix F. Staff survey – open-ended comments Verbatim comments follow, here and throughout all non-committal responses (e.g., "No idea", "No", "None", etc.) have been removed for brevity. All others are included unchanged. Q2. What could the institution do to improve students' learning experience? They need to learn more independently, so give them more opportunities to do this Aberdeen Business School is constantly evolving new products to gain new students, but maintenance seems to be lacking, this covers courses, buildings everything. If we don't keep the bread and butter upto scratch then it is absolutely ridiculous promoting new. Have more space at Garthdee, Phase I - particulary in the seminar rooms and the library. smaller class sizes Improve and update the courses every year, trining their lecture at market level. And teaching up to date technologies, and future tendencies. (This include the IT equipment and software) My experience so far in the School of Nursing has shown no problems. However when I previously worked in the business school I would say staff availability and guidance was a common complaint from students. As I often covered reception desks this was a large cause for concern. Provision of Learning materials eg, lecture handouts, on-line for full-time students, not just those studying via the virtual campus. FOR SOME COURSES WHERE CLASSES A LARGE A SYSTEM WHICH ENABLES MORE SMALL GROUP WORKING IS DESIRABLE. MORE INDIVIDUALISED FEEDBACK ON TERMINAL EXAMS DESIRABLE ALTHOUGH THE PRACTICALITIES IN TERMS OF STAFF HOURS ARE QUESTIONABLE From a technical point of view, attention to detail is distinctly lacking within RGU. While the iNet, Virtual Campus, web site, email etc are all good products for enhancing students learning, all of them have little niggles that can frustrate and annoy students trying to use them. Sort out timetabling/rooming issues as this has an immediate and negative impact on students' motivation and attitude to the institution. Look at the quality of the lecturer input (?through peer review). Due to our different intakes to other Schools, sometimes the services for students (e.g. intranet, canteen etc) are not available. Ensure that all students are at a minimum standard before allowing them to enrol on the course. Some of our students (quite a few) are barely capable of stringing a sentence together. Provide all students with a basic introductory course in IT skills/referencing etc. Challenge the students more and initiate a mechanism to involve more debate in their area of learning. At the moment most students appear to distance themselves from the learning process. Increase the number of seminars to which students are obliged to go to preferably during lunch time - if the University wants to engage in a research ethos then the framework to involve the student base must be put into place. help teaching staff do it better, see below Improved online tutor skills and understanding about best practices for collaborative learning. 142 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Improve the social space for the student to enable better interaction and provide space for group work etc. Reliable IT systems! From speaking to students, most of them are happy with the experience. I feel that the institution is flexible enough in its dealings with people who require extra help or facilities. Make it more personal; reduce class sizes; ensure all assessments are returned with consistent, comprehensive feedback. teach students and train students and test students on learning skills at the beginning of their course, beforewanything else. ?If not up to speed kick them out. (i) All syllabuses should be designed from the perspective of the student's learning experience - not the desire of teachers to run a particular course. (ii) Far, far too much time is spent in passive learning methods, particularly lectures, which are of proven ineffectiveness. Far too little is spent in active learning, particularly seminars and writing. (iii) Students need regular, personal contact for support and development. Fortnightly seminars are never adequate. All students should have weekly contact on each course. This can be done through interactive learning in large groups. Reduce the rigidity of the research environment to open up and encourage more self- motivation and input from the students. Remove modularisation and the semester system. Teaching is crammed into a short period of time - no assimilation time and little chance to build up a really comprehensive study of any one area, constantly having to revise topics at the beginning of a module We must not drop academic standards. I sense dumbing down to suit the fact that students are less equipped by secondary school. We need to challenge them more not less and teach them to think rather than regurgitate. Put up a board, catalogue or website of pointers how to help via selfhelp, i.e. how to organise oneself, structure one's aims, obtain the right literature etc. This is adult learning and imho wants adult procedures. big question! I wonder if we encourage enough higher level skills like analysis and critical thinking Offer better facilities - there's no place for studnets to meet up and chat. The whole uni id far too instrumental and functional. There is very little to engender creativity in teh students. See soem of teh work by Richard Florida on teh creative class for this. More setting of the scene of university learning for 1st year students - what does learning at University actually mean? More students centred learning rather than large lectures - students taking responsiblity for preparing for classes rather then spoon-feeding Provide student and staff common rooms, adequate accommodation for staff and students, water on-site that students don't have to pay for. It is my experience that students learn most from hands on experience like them carryong out practical laboratory work and from feedback from employers this ability to carry out work is a very important reason they employ RGU graduates Staff should be more approachable Support/Admin staff could provide better customer service to students. My comments in this section are specifically related to opportunities to improve the experience for students at Grays. We need to provide better, more modern teaching spaces. Studio space is poor in 143 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 comparison to our competitors and needs to be upgraded in terms of flexibility, furniture, teaching aids. Workshops need to reflect modern manufacturing processes - rapid prototyping etc and there needs to be more social space for both staff and students so more peer interaction/learning could occur.On the plus side the new sports and health facilities on campus here will improve the learning environment significantly Adapt an open module method. 5-6 core modules the students must take a year. 2-3 elective modules that must be passed but do not count towards the final grade. Theoratical background should be functionalized with applied examples where possible. The student should experiment and experience. I see the information technology (e- learning and e-laboratories in particular) as a strategic tool, which can improve the student's conception of theory. Make it fun to learn. Make effective use of new technolgy, in partcular the internet/intranet. Help them realise that attendance would actually impact on their achievement? My experience of open-plan staff seating in the Garthdee buildings also suggests that students are less likely to come and see staff with queries or build up a good working relationship with staff because we are much less accessible. The atmosphere at ABS is typically undergraduate. Post-graduates need to be made to feel a bit special and valued. I don't know of any other university which has no special dedicated provision of space for post grad students to interact and develop. Staff's ability to devote more time to smaller class tutorial work, such as case studies and simulations. There is a need to look at how students have changed over the years (more interaction with technology) and how we can capitalise on the change to enhance their learning experience. Ensure that the student's who are admitted to the university have the academic ability to complete an academic degree. Many students are coming into the university who are not capapble of studying at degree level. The current strategy of allowing students through the gate without a Higher grade award, is effectively "setting the students up to fail". As the student struggles withe the academic content, the student becomes discouraged. This leads to many compensatory tacticts including plaigerism and cheating. The whole learning experience becomes a confrontation with learning material and lecturers. 1. Insist that students attend classes. 2. Move towards a greater emphasis on student centred learning 2. Increase the amount of inquiry based learning for students. More setting of the scene of university learning for 1st year students - what does learning at University actually mean? More students centred learning rather than large lectures - students taking responsiblity for preparing for classes rather then spoon-feeding Cut down the number of lectures and only give key "inspirational" lectures to support intranet material. Control class sizes for tutorials and laboratory practicals. Increasing class size plus the cut-back on lab demonstrators means that students are getting left behind and feel lost. Safety and the student's learning experience are important. Experience of teaching students at most levels has meant that I would identify the most important issue that students have to deal with is integrating knowledge. The modular structure of courses encourages a 'little boxes' mentality when we should be encouraging students to think in course / professional discipline terms. Attendance is an issue (because of the discussion that takes place within a class setting) - powerpoints on the I-net is not a real substitute for this. Make the computers more realiable and compatible with the servers ie the streamed video. Put into practice what is preached about active learning by allowing tutorial groups to be of a manageable size rather than dictated by staff availability. Look seriously at shared learning so that its not just a case of putting students from dfferent courses studying a 144 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS similar subject into one lecture theatre to get the teaching covered with the few staff available but is grouped to faclitate a richer experience for the students. Ensure standards of good teachng practice across the university in regards to how the iNet is used etc. Encourage the social experience of the university by paying attention to environmental details and opportunities for students to meet and learn informally in groups. Efficient timetables Contemporary experinces Teach them what we can deliver dont promise what we cant Consider cultural awareness The iNet should not be the b all and end of Smaller groups for computing labs. Alternatively more support for larger groups. Institutions must relate previous knowledge to new knowledge, and across courses; relate theoretical ideas to everyday experiences; distinguish evidence and argument; and organise and structure content into a coherent whole. More staff I think we already do alot but I think financial constraints placed on the library do not support the 2010 vision for the university to enhance the research activity. Improvements to iNet, in particular reduction of waiting times at peak periods. Improved out of hours access to labs. Removal of extraneous furniture from classrooms in St. Andrew St. Improved sport and leisure facilities at all sites. Thorough preparation for the transition between secondary and HE learning environment; mentoring of new students by more senior students. Ensure the reiability of our IT infrastructure. Pervese as it may seem they should graetly improve the social and sports provision - healthy bodies and minds. Use teaching methods that require them to read more widely around the subject. Reduce the number of lectures and concentrating more on seminars, particularly in the undergraduate programme where this could be applied progressively as they move from level to level Have a better staff student ratio. A wider variety of ways to get information to students and better ways of communicating with students. Ensure additonal time is built in to staffs timetables to allow for informal meetings with students over and beyond tutorials. Ensure appropriate attendance of students, it has a detremental effect on both students and sfaff. Provide resources to enable CL/PLs to respond quickly and effectively to student feedback, e.g. more rooms to ease timetabling issues which seriously restrict teaching and learning capabilities. The institution should allow students to give their feedback on a course while it is ongoing to identify any discrepancies or suggestion to improve its delivery. This feedback system should be monitored frequently to enable the institution to follow up on students comment. Improve the quality and communication of information generally. Technology is available now for this (ERP, Expert Systems etc) but requires investment and quality training/induction and imaginative implementation for the future. Work with them - improve the Staff Student Ratio and jetison RAE Funding; employ 145 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 enthusiastic staff who may inspire their students rather than stand and spit out of their old lecture notes. Have no real knowledge of the learning experience given to students. I work in admin and have no direct link to the teaching side - deal more with student records etc. smaller class sizes, no evening teaching for undergraduates, easier access to academic staff Encourage the use of new technologies in teaching or as final years projetcs. Use a wide variety of different methods, tools and/or visits whenever possible. more staff training, improved teaching standards, staff quality etc. Timetabling of classes can be a problem for students. Having classes in concentrated blocks for the same students seems to improve the likliehood of students attending most classes. Lighten up on some of the regulation that's there purely for administrative convenience, rather than for academic reasons. Improve the students - I'm not being facetious. They need to work more systematically and harder. Deal with students as individuals rather than huge groups. This requires breaking down into smaller groups and staff resources or IT resources to support this. Increase staffing levels so that academic staff have more time for developing the learning experience. By providing materials. Increase staffing provision. Increase visiting lecturer provision. Recriut more international students. Provide more study visits. Improve and expand current resources. Increased staff so could do more small group teaching Sharing innovative practice Increased links with other universities 1)Point out the value of reading around their subject and not relying solely on recommended text books.Francis Bacon wrote one of the most famous essays in the English language on reading and said "Reading maketh a full man" or something similar. 2)Invite persons in industry or the public service to give talks about their work, including the problems they meet and the solutions attempted.My own experience in my early days was that some students often failed to turn up,considering this an opportunity for a free period.I soon solved this by warning students that a question in the examination could be asked where some aspects of the guest lecture would need to be known. That ensured a reasonable turn-out and a question was often included where the guest lecture was relevant to the answer. Remove the ridiculous grading scheme and go back to percentages. Include more practical demonstration in teaching Better organisation and communication to largbe groups of students Better teaching accommodation The use of CBL for formative as well as summative assessment Personal development portfolios More imaginative types of assessments More employer involvement Reduce the number of assessments that students are given. 146 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Ensure rooming is appropriate for learning needs and communicated in a manner students can understand. For distance learning students review of library resources to ensure that the books they have requested are not recalled as soon as they receive them via inter - libaray loan. Some students have had to return books on receipt. Be more creative in the way assessments are designed. Organisational improvement on timetabling and resource availablitiy. I believe that a constructivist approach to learning is one of the most productive learning strategies. This means emphasising experiential learning, project-based learning and research. We should avoid, where possible, formal lectures in favour of project-based work. Assessment should be imaginative and based on developing portfolios of evidence i.e. summative as opposed to formative assessment. Examinations which simulate real situations should be used in favour of written test papers etc. This is a much better way of assessing learning and more engaging for students. Find ways of getting students to attend classes and prepare work for tutorials. ensure there are sufficient resources and manpower to meet the students needs. Greater emphasis on student centered learning NOT student led learning Make sure all the network related facilities work properly all semester Increase multi-disciplinary learning opportunities for students to help prepare them for the reality of professional practice. Maintain small tutorial group sessions. Annual intake for School of Nursing & Midwifery to fall in line with rest of University to help facilitate better student relations across the University. Encourage greater student/student and student/lecturer interaction Allow staff who are good at delivering more time and not expect them to become jack of all trades. Provide space for online feedback and access to online art works/texts which are relevant to current studio pracitce Encourage more self learning and for courses with a mixed background of students have staff who can teach it to all and not from one perspective Generally, providing innovative teaching material, inspiring our student to achieve. Traditional lectures to be complimented with 20 minute 'breaks' so that students can digest info in small chunks - use of music playing, moving about the room, not being stuck on a chair for 55 mins not interacting. The teaching experience needs to involve the student on an interactive basis. Q3. What could the institution do to better enable staff to deliver effective teaching and learning? Learn from the mistakes Again there is a lack of private space particularly for meetings with students. Also more open communication. team teaching would allow staff to pursue research agendas and thereby increase the quality of their teaching More training for staff/lectures, formal and informal inside and outside the University 147 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Get rid of innefective management. Likes of the Business School which has appaulingly high staff turn-over due to poor working conditions. This reflects badly on students as interuptions within departments can effect students learning when it comes to constant re- shuffling of roles etc. Provison of more administrative support, so lecturers can concentrate on lecturing, not administration of courses. ENHANCE IT TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE TO SCHOOLS. PROVIDE MORE IT SUPPORT FOR STAFF WHEN THEY ARE APPLYING NEW PACAKAGES FOR THE FIRST TIME e.fg QM Perception. Many staff are lacking in knowledge and enthusiasm for the use of technology within the teaching process. Making this usage simpler for staff would begin to address this, but staff also have to be trained in the most beneficial practices for using such technologies. This training has to occur regularly in order to keep staff up to speed and continually refreshed with the ideas that can make students learning environments more friendly and rewarding. Ensure that rooming issues are dealt with on an institution wide level so that lecturers do not have to make last minute changes to modes of delivery etc. Put on other events such as the Faculty conference where experts in the university demonstrate and describe innovative ways of working with students. Somehow all staff should have to attend if possible. Peer review of teaching Support staff attendance at conferences/courses, even when they are not presenting, so that they may keep up to date with recent advances. As a new lecturer I feel unable to answer this question at this time Loads, perhaps I speak from a position of ignorance being a seconded member of staff but I have received no input on teaching styles and methods or use of IT in teaching areans which whould have been most helpful, i feel I have beed making it up as I go along and hunting in the dark, I do not come form a teaching background. Requires to establish clearer priorties in School forward plans and strategies and fostered by claer leadership. Raise entry standards - too much time and effort is spent on the weaker students pushing them through and not enough time is therefore left to motivate the brighter ones. I do not feel that there is anything that has not already been put in place. Provide more resources to enable staff to focus better on the classes to be delivered. Provide time for and provide mentors to pull in good practice and share ideas across all staff and to ensure staff operate at their maximum potential and that hey have suficient resources.. Reorganize timetables. Permit the development of methods for interactive learning in large groups, currently barred by those in authority. Increase the amount of research activity by the individual lecturers. Active research should be part of the lecturers remit to stimulate the students into research activity - teaching by example doing a good job there Getting the basic IT material to work - often one turns up to teach and teh internet is down or a comp does not boot up, so no PPT slides and a room full of bored kids! Sharing of good practice throughout the University so same staff "reinventing the wheel". 148 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS sharing of good resources i.e. two different schools preparing very similar questionmark material independently of each other More systematic institutional support for students with disabilities to take some pressure off academic staff. continue to provide good laboratory provision and technical back up Cut the individual workload Support/Admin staff could provide better customer service to academic staff. As above - better equipped studio spaces with modern teaching aids - data projectors/video as standard Allocate time (really allocate as in timtable) for staff development in teaching such as for the TLT certificate. Reduce the ammount of contact hours for example in labs by using postgrad supervision or having unsupervised labs followed by supervised labs. With respect to the answer given in the preceeding question, I would say, by providing e- tools that can help develop courses (animations,video, graphics and so on). Provide more training in the use of packages to create web based teaching and assesment material. Change the personal tutor system so that a member of staff is responsible for a few students throughout their time at University - rather than a whole year group See above re office space. Set achievable deadlines rather than, for example, asking us to write exams 9 months ahead of time because it helps the administration staff. This means that it is impossible to be creative about your teaching plan nearer the time because you have committed yourself to the exam. It could be more proactive in informing us what is out there and considered to be innovative/best practice elsewhere. The University is great at undertaking change, but changes are never given the proper underpinning. This is true of the Inet and the Virtual Campus. Effective teaching and learning is not always about technology. Perhaps it could run a master class in how to engage and inspire students. We don't learn as much from each other as we could because there is no dedicated area for staff to meet informally. Implement a policy where attendance at lectures is linked to pass/or fail. Staff become demotivated when they are faced with a lecture hall of 20 students instead of 160 students. If staff are demotivated the desire to produce innovative teaching strategies is diminished. 1. Ensure that all staff are active in research. 2. Greater financial and promotional rewards and opportunities for staff. 3. Greater funding for conferences 4. Greater resource allocation towards staff development. Sharing of good practice throughout the University so same staff "reinventing the wheel". sharing of good resources i.e. two different schools preparing very similar questionmark material independently of each other Allow lecturers to specialise in the subject(s)they teach. The present situation is not helped by the internal market which encourages Schools to operate like separate institutions. Supported virtual teaching is the future but staff need time to prepare learning packages. Recognition of the benefits of traditional methods, instead of the in-built assumption that the answer for every problem is electronic! Ensure decent staffing levels so that adequate time can be given for preparation and 149 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 administration, marking and research activity. Ensure that staff are actively encouraged and rewarded to update their knowledge in realtion to teaching and learning skills such as computer skills rather than allowing some members of staff to take a head in the sand approach. Facilitate better communication both formal and informal by stopping spam e-mails and providing spaces and facilities which encourage cross faculty / school socialisation, the sports centre could play a role in this. Train Develop Enhance Reward Motivate Provide systems that work not bureacracy and commmittee after committee Provide a better virtual campus. The moving around the windows is painful Provide spell checks on the iNet and virtual campus Do not block teaching Consider more user friendly and industry based modules Lets be the leaders and not the followers Generally quite good at staff support When new staff join they should be allocated a 3 month slot to complete HELT-The course is designed to improve oour teaching but some staff can have delivered a huge amount of teaching before they attend HELT. The university could have a formal induction process whereby core elements eg where to find things on the intranet, how to use a marking grid etc are explained. There are alot of things already available to enable staff to deliver effective teaching-it's just that we don't know where to find them all. Improve iNet. The interface is awkward to use, slow at peak periods and unreliable for certain functionality. Reduce the levels of irrelevant email and questionnaires with which staff are bombarded. General email announcements to all staff are particularly annoying and distracting. Reduce central services to facilitate better SSRs Ensure relaibility of IT infrastructure and be more flexible in the provison of teh same - far too many standards that are set for minimal provision, some of work with graphics! Enable off campus access to staff data drives. Be less freely available for student drop in consultations Make sure that more of them are experts in their subject - at the leading edge, doing research, rather than just using the same textbooks that they expect the students to read. Reduce workloads - especially administrative tasks. Better investment in the underlying IT Infrastructure and technology. Ensure appropriate teaching rooms that are flexible with flexible furniture arrangements to induce interactive group/tutorial disussions. Increase attendence availablility (other than when presentation) to confereces to update knowledge and skills. Provide more 'refresher' courses on effective learning and teaching (e.g. appropriate use of the iNet, how to use PowerPoint more effectively, how to engage students etc.) - sorry if this sounds like back to basics, although it is. The institution should ensure that the visual and demonstration aid equipments are in perfect working order to enable the staff to deliver effective teaching and learning. 150 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Allow more flexibility. Timetable/teaching accommodation constraints restrict time available for non-teaching activities such as research. Systems to allow working and teaching from home (or any other location outside University if appropriate) Give Professional Studies Advisor administrative support and more time/hours employ more staff, so as to enable class sizes to be reduced. more & better rooms suitable for teaching small groups Add to CELT teaching program a possibility to record some good and less good lectures than have a debate around the teaching methodes,rather than just theoritical course. Availability of suitable rooms plays too much of a part in staff being able to deliver effective teaching. More and ore programmes are being etup to teach larger and larger groups of students with no accompanying increase in number of large rooms to achieve this. better training to the staff Take on more of the routine admin. Remove a few layes of management and comittees. Get the students working. Have one administrative person designated to sort out timetabling and rooming, so that this job is taken away from lecturer's time. Give staff more time for activities by employing more staff Improve and expand current resources. Increase staffing provision. Increase visiting lecturer provision. Recriut more international students. Provide more study visits. more staff rooms which better facilitate this process Please forgive for saying that this question is put in very clumsy English. Should it not read "What could the institution do to enable staff to deliver more effective teaching and learning?" 1) Mandatory courses in lecture preparation and delivery for all staff new to university teaching (usually new staff). Courses, also mandatory, for staff every five years, possibly introducing them to new and proven techniques. 2) Provide opportunities for short-time assignments to organizations relevant to their subject teaching. Appoint more staff, decrease SSR Free up staff time. Encourage more staff into actually doing their subject (either through schoolrly activity or research). More dedicated time for research and CPD Training in delivering to large groups, and in innovative assessment methods An effective CBL system with adequate technical support Reduce the number of assessments that students are given. Only allow students to resit an assessment once or not at all. Increase teaching facilities. Consider wishes of staff who often feel pulled between teaching, research and writing. Review the amount of committees/groups within the University. 151 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 Reduce the size of classes or include more tutorials. Improve facilities to allow for flexible use of space. Improve the quality of the virtual learning environment - which is currently not fit for purpose. Provide more social spaces for students and staff. Dramatically change the library provision, which is currently over- centralised. I suggest a new library model would be more like a wheel with spokes. The hub being a centrally held information resource. The satellite units would provide electronic library provision plus localised subject-specific information e.g. technical information relating to new materials or software manuals etc., and journals (subject specific). I think that the university is doing its very best to do this, it is up to students to take advantage of what is on offer. Ensure staff have enough time to review and update their own knowledge and learning for effective teaching. Open discussion and guidance on more effective use, i.e. less spoonfeeding of information with PowerPoint (or other teaching media). More reliable IT provision for computer-assisted assessment. At the moment, reduce demands on workload - increase administrative & lecturer staff numbers - to free up available time for student learning opportunities and fuller participation in scholarly & academic activities to update/enhance own knowledge base. Buy in more web technologists/IT for each School/Faculty. Buy in ready made interactive learning electronic packages to inspire students to learn eg Anatomy & Physiology, & Pathophysiology. Provide significant periods of dedicated time for staff to continually update & prepare teaching & learning materials that will entice students to engage in learning. Provide more time for staff to reflect, read current research, for informal discussions Allow staff more time to prepare for teaching and give it higher profile. at times it seems to be something we have to fit in around all the other duties and yet it surely should be one of the most important as our greatest income is SHEFC. There are now too much admin which leaves less time to concentrate on teaching and learning. time would allow more development with multimedia packages, computer aided learning etc etc. Set up a system where staff could 'drop-in' those texts/art works for each module. Training given on how to really create innovative visual teaching powerpoint slides;(not just the standard designs) to inspire individuals every time they teach to make every lecture a motivational experience for all involved. Personal development accounts for a lot of this; body language, using positive language that students can identify and respond to. Q4. Can you suggest any new uses of technology that could enhance students' learning experience? More use of web base technologies and collaborative tools, and promote it use. Memory Sticks. I have never heard of them corrupting and they hold far more information that the popular floppy disks. And as most computers have USB ports, students can access their information from whereever they are. It would also save on space on the H drives as 256MB for example will more than accomodate most peoples personal and work files. RGU could try and get a deal from a company like Pretec (who make very small versions of the Memory Stick) and negotiate a bulk purchase lowering them in price. Students could then - on joining a course - be offered to purchase these devices to aid their learning. It could be added to RGU's merchandise catalogue if they want to make a profit which they probably do. 152 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Live internet chats for virtual campus students, not just a message forum. INDIVIDUAL RESPONSE UNITS WHICH WERE DEMONSTRATED AT RECENT FACULTY DAY Most staff are unaware of the potential for students to submit coursework online, other than through email. This has to be promoted more. Use of video conferencing facilities to allow students to view lectures in other institutions could also be of benefit in areas where those institutions have a stronger basis. Not aware of any that aren't currently being used, although I am sure there are plenty It's not new, but expansion of the use of online assessment tools might be good. More use of Question mark perception - again I feel unable to answer this question fully If i could master current technology I may be able to answer the question I think the students would really appreicate being able to access results on line. The Open University does a student homepage for you when you log on. I personally found that really useful. Classroom tresponse systems as piloted by Computing should be general equipmnet in all large classrooms. Most of the problmes lie in the lack of training in laerning design in the use of the technology by staff. Pedagogy is the problem not technology. No, students do prefer the personal touch that they get when they attend classes and a member of staff is present. Not all students are competent with technology or have easy access to it. Every one should be trained on what we have and tested accordingly. Technoly should never be a barrier to use. The core problem at RGU is the relative lack of personal contact. Technological solutions are liable to work against that. There are also serious problems with the INet system, and INet, IWS and Virtual Campus need redesigning from top to bottom, bringing all three systems together. But that is not a new use of technology. Technology is a necessary part of modern life but there can be too much. Interaction with people rather than technolgy is one of the best ways to convey and encourage enthusiasm in a learning experience. Interaction using mobiles phones might be useful. Use of Interactive Classrooms. Using more than one projection screen in class rooms. No more please. The intranet is already severly impacting class attendance. Education should revolve around interaction with academic staff. If students sense they can get everything from the Intranet they simply do not turn up. Use technology to complement and support in class learning not replace it. Radical suggestion don't put class notes on the intranet use it to distribute suplementary material that will challenege their reading and interpretation skills in follow up tutorials !!!! I wouldn't suggest technology, rather techniques. Technology changes fast, but techniques can be expanded. Interactive whiteboard looks interesting. See above re Questionmark and colelctive use of video materail - staff need to know what resorces are within the University to share. Video conferencing to practice areas to "real life" situations 153 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 More attractively designed webpage templates and virtual campus (which looks awful and dated). I recently saw a demo of an interactive botton handset that allowed students to each answer questions from power point slides--this would be a good interactive tool to get immediate feedback on the level of understanding of every student in the group and an aid to maintain attention The airport/wi/fi approach has to be embraced - if all students came with/were given a laptop - this could bring big gains in efficiency of space, time and communications. Other institutions have given out course materials on an Ipod (free to each student) this could sound like a gimmic but there is something in this whcih taps into the current students psyche and relates their learning to their own street culture - this could bring about some interesting benefits in terms of their "brand perception " about their institution - we need to use the technological tools which are desirable to our students Need ot find an alternative to powerpoint as this send students to sleep Electronic course development tools. Make effective use of sms, wireless technolgy and interactive web material for the delivery, and assessment, of course material. In particular make the assessments more like the tasks that the students would have to perform in the 'real world' The concept that mobile phones can be switched off! Seriously, it would be wonderful to be more au fait with what is out there. There isn't enough time to explore, investigate and evaluate alternatives. For example, if computer based assessement was used students would be able to get feedback on their performance much earlier in the session. Help us to set this up please. Although Information Technology and in particular, computer software can enhance learning, not all students find this an effective learning strategy. However, the old adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words" is as relevant today as it has always been. Students enjoy videos, DVD's etc. and combined with a discussion group (even in a lecture theatre) this can be an extremely effective way of learning. Computer programmes which provide interactive scenarios are an excellent learning tool in nursing and the university would benefit from such programmes. See above re Questionmark and colelctive use of video materail - staff need to know what resorces are within the University to share. Video conferencing to practice areas to "real life" situations More and smarter use of the intranet. Computers and displays in laboratories would mean that virtual teaching could be blended with skill development at the bench. Use of course-maps to aid integration of module topics across a course. 'Class-test' aids using e.g. QuestionMark Parcpetion - as a learning tool. Using simulation techniques - similar to management games etc. Encourage the use of video which is interactive and integrated into the module and course learning outcomes rather than developing stand alone videos as an add-on to the teaching. Use CAA appropriately to assess required learning outcomes but to do this may reauire designated testing suites so that labs are not taken up with assessments thus disadvantaging students who are needing access to the computers for self study or to write coursework. Share resources which have taken time to produce and look at different ways of using them. Yes Interactive CD roms Perhaps more simulation software - and training to support it 154 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Video conferencing in the clinical situation so that students can see what it's really like and be able to ask questions of the people doing the job Possibly, use of bulletin boards / discussion forums would be a good method of feedback and further instruction of students. With a lot of these technological approaches, the difficulty is in creating a culture of use, among both staff and students. It often involves large initial investment that is idfficult to justify if modules are performing acceptably. Computer Assisted Assessment to promote continuous feedback on learning achievement Audio video tools to record and publish lectures. Better and more extensive use of our existing IT tools to inform and communivate with the students. Enable students to connect to our networks with their own equipment when on campus e.g. portables. No - I think we are laready over dependent on machines rather than people. Using IM both as a way of communicating with studetns directly either within (probably need a new breed of TA to help with this) or outwith a class. Students don't need to physically be in a class to attend. With Broadband and a camera (would need to display this somehow in the lecture theatre) students could interact with a streaming video of module which should also be recorded for offline viewing alongside course notes. Also With the addition of Wireless networking, students should be able to IM a TA on a laptop or PDA to answer a question instead of interrupting the lecturer unless the point would warrant further discussion. The university needs to find a way of encouraging students (even paying for those that cannot afford themselves) to purchase a laptop to bring it in to the school to connect up to the wireless network, get access to applications relevant to a lab. This would reduce the number of PC's required in labs. Use of chat rooms on IM for "buddying up" for self helping. Use of forums for slower response answers. All students have a mobile... Communicate thru text with them Student notes should not be held in a Microsoft format but in such formats as ebook or PDF so they can be viewed electronically on a variety of different platforms (PDA for example) on line forums and additional IT education Perhaps 360 peer review (although this may be resource heavy). It would be of great use if the lectures are made available in a video format online for students to reflect on the previous lectures or to catch up on missed lectures. It will also be useful during revision periods. Faster more reliable networks. More use of video technology - streamed video and video conferencing. More resources available electronically - eBooks, eJournals and shared learning materials between Universities. More sophisticated online (formative and summative)assessment and marking systems. paper and pencil - until they master the co-ordination of hand/eye/brain Students are handicapped and may never use technology to its best advantage - remember it is ONLY a TOOL increased use of electronic conferencing 155 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 CAVE is a relativelly new technology that allow students to visualise their design in 3 dimention and at a relativelly large scal. This will help them to understand better their designs. Unfortunately I think that increasing the use of new technology cannot move forward until we are provided with increased computer rooms for teaching. All companies now depend so much on computer use and I think this is how the student learning experience should be streamed so they have practical knowledge of different software programmes (not from a programmer point of view, but from a user point of view). This should be considered an essential part of programmes developed for "Management" students, but again computer resources for teaching students is limited due to increased student groups. ICT, emailing, discussion group Open access to the networks, which seems to be coming, slowly. Perhaps some foprm of leasing/lending wireless-enabled laptops, and flash data sticks. Completely electronic submission of coursework. Not the issue. Assessments electronically delivered texting students reminders of deadlines and details of any changes to classes etc. No. However, it is up to the university to ensure that all staff are aware of any new technology that can enhance students' learning experience Online tutorials would benefit students and enable them to take more control of their own learning. Issue students with laptops. Perhaps using mobile phones for communication to students and for some assessments. CBL - as above All students should have to swipe their ID card through a device as they enter each and every class. The device should forward the data to a computer that automatically collates comprehensive attendance statistics. I personally feel we have become over reliant on technology, with an ethos amongst students that they only need to down load PowerPoint presentations off the Intranet. This is only part of the story and students are not directing their learning with these presentations. I think a wireless computer network would be of value and allow students to use their laptop and other devices anywhere on campus. The internet provision is wholly inadequate and needs to be updated to a VLE which matches the pedagogical approach to learning. This is more about providing high quality communication tools, information retrieval tools, collaborative working tools, as opposed to poor quality, unsupported presentations. It is not a question of technology, it is much more to do with students' attitudes and motivation. Greater use of the internet for searching out, sifting and retrieving relevant information to inform the student in certain topic areas. Ensure electronic platform/s are able to effectively support current & future E-teaching & learning developments. The new interactive toys <name withheld> showed where students could press a button for the answer like audience answers in Who wants to be a millionaire. This would allow students much more participation without showing them selves up in front of them peers 156 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS and yet they could learn the "correct" answer. It would be a great way to hold mini quizzes. video-conferencing for discussions? Q12. What other facilities do you feel a University should provide in the future? Other health facilities that are easily accessible More computer access As a lecturer brought in to increase research I would expect more research based learning. More audio and video support for distance learning. More problem based teaching. An introductory package for essential skills i.e. numeracy State of the art laptops for staff and students, with fast reliable equipment Access to skills laboratories and more use of sms messages on mobile telephones. Studio classrooms, rooms for group projects, drop-in tutorial rooms Just getting the basics to work - email, internet, intranet, ppt. Access to H:/ drive from home for staff Good video playing compatible system on iNET Computer cameras for staff students faciliting face to face contact Proper rooms (with doors) for staff who cannot carry out research, think or prepare teaching materials in a call centre environment. Common room for staff, common room for students. Basic standard requirements for a University. question 11 doesnt cover me much I have a lot of research projects and 6 phd students and masters projects Gallery spaces, space for the public and external partners to interact with rgu/grays - a retail outlet for student work More facilities for students and staff to work from home, or cafes. e.g portable computers, Virtual Private Networks, mobile wireless networks, more interactive on-line material. Places for the students to go to relax. There is nowhere for them to go on the garthdee campus at the moment apart from the library, so they all sit in there and talk. this is taking too long to fill in... A Theatre. Learning can be shared through "fun" and innovative practice by production methods. Group collaboration is essential for this mode of learning and enhances the student's ability to communicate, interact, research and retain information and enjoy learning. For which activity? Additionally, for whom? Access to H:/ drive from home for staff Good video playing compatible system on iNET Computer cameras for staff students faciliting face to face contact Intranet application co-ordinators(hands-on)within each faculty. A University graphic artist to help prepare diagrams for computer packages. Lab-tops for teaching staff would help a lot. Facilities which allow and encourage discussion and exchange of experience and information. This could be face-to-face or electronic means. The main value of this is in student participation and frequency of contact as well as quality of contact (e.g. it may be 157 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 important in some circumstances to have a higher frequency of contact rather than an especially high quality). A cetral learning hub / library in a cafe style with relaible computer access and quiet or social areas. Sports Internet cafe/libraries Group areas Cultural zones Mini Villages to shop etc University must provide students with all the studymaterials and tutorials, exam papers etc all ifnormation written on a DVD and handed over to the students as soon as the course commences. Better access to email and h drive from home Social and recreational spaces for staff and students - there is nothing on campus to make students want to stay and benefit from peer interaction both on an academic or social basis. More staff - I think there is far too much emphasis on buildings and technology. Additional teaching rooms, better use of existing space. Home laptops for individual members of staff for working at home. High quality conference facilities including accommodation. Better access to networks from home. Better information systems - ERP to manage all data and information to provide a better quality service to staff and students. Q11 is not appropriate to my work however, I am emplopyed 10.5 hours per week and currently spending excess of 20 hours communicating with some 140 students outwith the college - in offices; verifying their Quarterly submissions and visiting them, in their places of work throughout the UK & EIRE. I am also required to deal with Stage 3 & Stage 6 Student enquiries and direct them in their future placements [Stage 4] and office employnment post Stage 6]; Advise on CV preparation and Part 3 Final External Examination and monitor the Part 3 Case Study prepared in the office. I also run an annual Week long Course for Examination in Professional Practice & Management Candidates. The University should provide greater support for these students - they are the future employers of our future students and should not be alienated or 'ripped off' by resources available to the PSA being skimped and uinreliable. May be more exchange with other universities and countries as I feel that new generations are not open minded enough. Pay for staff broadband at home Better on-campus unsupervised study facilities. Flexible opening of canteen and other facilities throughout the calendar year not academic year. Access to H drive from home computer. Space. Storage space, IT equipment, additional staffing, additional technical staff. Laptops for all staff IT facilities to enable mobile work. Wireless hot spots 158 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS Wireless computer access throughout A student refectory. A well fed student is a happy student. A staff refectory. Bigger lecture theatres. Facilities for social interaction. I think they should provide business start-up and incubator units. Hasn't the university provided enough already? encourage flexible working for staff as this will give the best benefits for student learning Improved remote login to e-mail and iNet free drinking water for students fresh air.......... ie windows that open proper common room for staff will need to consider the provision or loan of wireless IT systems for staff & students with connections to internet to be able to work effectively from home. AND 'neverending' access to a backup service should anyone encounter any problems due to increasingly flexible learning demands & opportunities. Web cams so that we could talk directly to eLearning students from our offices this would be much more personal than email. Booths for specific use by students and staff to have discussion, one to one feedback - not a teaching room, but perhaps a common room area where students can work, meet with other students, engage in university life a bit more interactively. Q16. Any other comments I was an inappropriate choice of recipient to fill in this questionnaire There is a lack of space and storage at Garthdee Phase I. I think that the research of future tendencies and edge technlogies would take RGU to a better place in the future, and the use of the right people doing this research full time, is a crucial point. I thikn that people with high expertise should be working in research and transfering the knowledge to lectures who could do research in a part time basis. That will increase the new technologies we can implement and design in house. I feel that the current practices in place are good and practical and appear to be working well - maybe more in the Virutal Campus / Computer system could be utilised and made more available In the past virtual campus students have commented to me that they have little contact or support from lecturing staff. A long Q delivered across a very busy time - assessment - for acdemics! The entire technological infrastructure supporting learning needs to be reviewed more thoroughly and more regularly, and not with the view of "we've got this in place so we're not going to go with something new". Its good to see the iNet & Virtual Campus are getting completely overhauled to give a much simpler and more learning-oriented environment. Other outdated systems, such as IWS, need to be replaced with better quality products that will allow staff to concentrate more on teaching and less on administrative work. 159 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 The RGU email system needs an entire overhaul to better group students, to make sure all mailing lists are accurate, and to generally allow better communication between lecturers and their students. Staff need better support from the departments that handle the technological side of learning, but also need to be open to new ideas rather than assume that the way they have always taught is best. And they need to be regularly trained in all manner of technologies that they should by now be familiar with (but aren't!). Cannot really offer any real input to this survey as I am adminstrative member of staff and don't teach students the schedule assumes knowledge therfore alot of responses are na Questionnaire design does not cleay distinguish UG from PG which Ithink will cloud the reliability of the results I feel that RGU has harnessed new methods effectively and allows for staff training. Thank you for at least asking my opinions. More emphasis will be necessary in an era of online learning on robust, rigorous, assignments, assessed using meaningful grading schemes. (a) The core assumption in questions 4, 14 and 15 is that what we need to teach is technology. The core problem in RGU is lack of personal contact, aggravated by the combination of high student numbers, low teaching loads and a fatal over-emphasis on lectures as a mode of delivery. Students can sink without trace. (b) The existing technology works rather badly. It is slow, requires excessive amounts of pointing, clicking and processing, suffers from enormous duplication (why do we have three teaching systems?) inaccessible (why can't I post teaching material to VC directly?) and difficult to use (try to link course materials with teaching groups on the ABS INet). Web discussion groups on VC are virtually unusable in real time. It has to be redesigned for accessibility, speed and ease of use. It is important to be receptive to new ideas and recognise opportunities. Autonomy is an essential aspect to enable new opportunities to be grasped and progressed when identified not always easy because of some of bureaucratic systems which exist. Please lets not replace face to face interaction with a faceless virtual experience I think it all depends on what kind of course one teaches! At first year level there is great scope for online learning - but furtehr up the Uni I think its uses are more limited. For example, the best way to understand the work of certain thinkers is to sit down and read their material. Overall, i think student's want soem form of social exoereince - they want to be at Uni. there's more to learning than just teaching methods and IT meduim. On-line delivery of courses is possible in some areas but some professional courses require hands-on practical sessions, professionalisms, placements etc which need to be face-to- face Can see post-graduate education definitely being on-line and there are great advantages for this Part of coming to University is the "life learning" that surrounds the specific learning especially for young students - being away from home and meeting a variety of different people and experiences If this survey is about staff attitudes to IT in teaching and learning it should be more open about it. The main issue for many schools and staff is the abysmally poor accommodation at Garthdee within which it is impossible to do academic work. All else pales into insignificance. On line is useful for me to get my learning booklets to students and receive the tutorial 160 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS solutions on line but teaching people how to carry out research and gaining competence in practical lab skills can never be done on line. we must use the appropriate vehicle for delivering the skills employers want which should mean a range of methods and flexibility. It would be better if there wer less administrative tasks for staff to carry out and that most of their time could be devoted to producing high quality teaching material (either web- based or writen material). Reduce tutorial sizes so that you have more time to deal with individuals rather than the 'statistics' of the whole year group. Aim to give feedback to students on courseworks etc within a short a period of time as possible I teach postgraduates via the Virtual Campus and I am really not sure that undergraduate online learning would be successful. My postgrads have to be very committed people to undertake this type of learning and need to be very motivated and self-reliant. In other words, more mature than the average undergraduate. I also think that all students get a tremendous amount out of class interaction which you can not get online, even using discussion forums. Yes, there is a place for online learning, but it should not replace on- campus teaching. It also places a tremendous burden on staff. On-line learning and studying from home does not develop the key skills in a person that is required to be an effective worker in industry. (Industry - a general term used for any working environment). In fact, research shows that the student can experience a sense of isolation and loneliness which in turn has an impact on communication skills. Isolation and loneliness inhibits the student's ability to develop confidently as a mature worker. The human skills of communication are essential to the future employer - the employer is not looking for an academic but seeks a well-balanced and developed individual emerging from a university experience. On-line learning is restrictive in producing the well-balanced individual. I beleive we would lose credibility in the market place if we developed this type of student/individual. The student may also experience being a number, not an individual and this in turn would restrict the development of the student. We need a rounded environment producing quality students from the admission process to the graduation day. The issues associated with "how students learn"; "why students learn"; "what students learn"; and the teacing approaches required for students to learn are importnat factors and require further investigation. On-line delivery of courses is possible in some areas but some professional courses require hands-on practical sessions, professionalisms, placements etc which need to be face-to- face Can see post-graduate education definitely being on-line and there are great advantages for this Part of coming to University is the "life learning" that surrounds the specific learning especially for young students - being away from home and meeting a variety of different people and experiences Although the delivery system must change there is a place for on-site teaching. There may be fewer lectures but they should be better and designed to inspire rather than deliver information. Sorry to be negative but staff who prepare teaching packages are likely to be left to run them with no reduction in their other responsibilities. I acknowledge that staff need help to develop appropriate skills for e-learning authoring. I am not entirely convinced that on-line learning is the answer for every curriculum design problem. Some subject areas may be better aligned with e-learning resources and these areas should be exploited. I do not believe that where there are professional concerns (discipline or teaching) about using e-learning as a method that it should be forced. Variety in teaching styles / delivery styles should be encouraged. It should be possible to design courses where students study a mix of classroom-based modules, intranet-based models and text-based modules at the same time. The deciding factor should be the suitability of the content for the method being considered. While I think that we will see a move to more flexible learning and on-line learning as well 161 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 as the increased use of e-learning integrated into conventional on-campus courses I think that there are still a significant number of professional courses which cannot be taught solely by on-line / distance learning. However I think with the growth of the post graduate learning population that this will see an increase in the number of on-line courses we need to deliver whether these will still have occasional on-campus input as well. I think we have to be carfeul about how virtual is used. There is a tendendcy to play at online learning As you will have gathered I believe the greatest resource a university has is its staff and that students learn best if they can be enthused by a capable staff member. If students are not motivated to learn online, the quality of learning will be greatly reduced (you can bring a horse to water type thought) Intorducing new technology for interactive and enjoyable teaching and learning will only work as far as the human mind is ready to receive the knowledge being delivered. In order to prepare the students to receive the knowledge being delivered a good learning environement is neccessary. At times we hear students complaining that the room is too hot or cold and they are uneasy to learn in such situation. Why can't the institution invest on improving this condition. Technology may not change/advance significantly between now and 2020 but how we use it (in the class room or by distance learning) needs to change. Staff need to be better informed and trained to take advantage of the opportunities. I don't think Undergrads of the future will learn from home - they are more likely to be working and studying part-time for their degree. The University could set up schemes with employers to train employees to degree standard and beyond by part-time and/or distance learning tailored to meet their needs. The 'learning contract' would specify the amount of study time the Employer must give to the trainee. The subject of Architecture - Design per se - is not suitable for online tuition - one needs to meet the student face to face - simulate the office situation. Much of the work which I am carry out could be on-line - I receive submissions by Email and track and annotate where possible but to do this completely I would require to be supplied with a dedicated Lap Top. Much of my documentation verification is carried out elsewhere e.g. at home or in hotel rooms or on trains etc. my post is a reasearch post, so my knowledge of current teaching and learning practices at RGU is limited. I am not directly involved with student teaching. 2020 is far too distant to have any idea about Q11 was a bit vague - do you mean teaching in the sense of class contact or should it include preparation / marking ? Many of the responses are 'not applicaable' for my subjects - I've left these blank The operation of the centralised student recors/SITS function urgently needs resolving. If we must use a centralised student matriculation system, it is essential that this system assists Schools in the provision of all required documentation ie producing accurate class lists, including being able to split the student group into tutorial groups etc. It is also essential that this information is available to Schools from day 1 of Semester 1. SITS should also be able to provide class lists and student names for exams. None of this is available currently from SITs which results in Schools having to be able to provide this information themselves - which is time consuming and should be unnecessary. Schools lose over 40% of their budget to maintain centralised services, but are not allowed any real input into what centralised services actually provide and in what format - which causes frustration on both parts and some confusion for students. I would like to have more information about indepth training including researching and 162 APPENDIX F. STAFF SURVEY – OPEN-ENDED COMMENTS teaching to the staff, or workshops, lectures, and academic information and intelligences. More help with IT is required to allow general student information to be accessed via iNet etc. Schools do not all have the resources to make their information available electronically, which means that a lot on info is still paper-based and sent by post. Allow students less attempts at exams/assessments - one initial attempt plus one resit attempt (unless there are special mitigating circumstances). This would encourage a percentage of students to take their studies more seriously and would focus their attention and efforts. There is a contradiction at the heart of education: we expect students to be self-supporting but also that failure rates, completion times etc will remain as is. This is not the experience of other countries. We can only achieve it by reducing standards. If standards are to be maintained: long completion times and proportionatey higher costs will result. Also, the majority of students are not highly motivated or disciplined. Their capacity for independant study is limited. There is a contradiction at the heart of education: we expect students to be self-supporting but also that failure rates, completion times etc will remain as is. This is not the experience of other countries. We can only achieve it by reducing standards. If standards are to be maintained: long completion times and proportionatey higher costs will result. Also, the majority of students are not highly motivated or disciplined. Their capacity for independant study is limited. Q10 and Q11 are poor questions which fail to allow for the specifics of the course or my employment situation. I have therefore left them blank. As all Art and Design courses are by their very nature "media" courses, you have to understand that to attempt to teach for example Sculpture through the medium of online learning would be analogous to attempting to use printmaking to teach Sculpture: it would be to a certain extent possible but by no means appropriate. I don't think we should get too bogged down with the medium in which they are delivered but more the teaching and learning methods used to best deliver them I thought that this was a very useful questionnaire and you are to be commended upon the endeavour. I do point out, however, that I think greater care should have been taken in the construction of some of the questions. Always seek for clear, fluent and gramatically correct English because this enhances the questionnaire. The university sends out too many online questionnaires. They take up too much staff time and divert us from other, more useful activities. I do not see online as an either or situation but as an add on that might eventually change the whole system but just will help to make things easier for all concerned with TLA. I think that students from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures , locations etc benefit enourmously from having a shared experience in a common physical environment. I am not aware of any better learning experience than students struggling together in a tuturial or lab. I believe that universities will continue to be very important institutions in the future, providing socially responsible education and increasing the proportion of research to teaching from its current relatively low level to more like 60% of the on-campus effort. I believe there will always be courses that require university facilities and on-campus attendance and that this is very important for social cohesion and student interaction. However a lot of work will be done online, possibly up to a third of learning. This reflects the need to offer a more flexible way of learning in the future. Sorry that some of my responses are on the negative side but I hope to retire in September this year. New It technologies and on-line learning will deinately have a place for many courses in the future, but for my particular courses there can be no replacement for practical classes 163 INITIAL REPORT – LAST REVISED – 03/06/2010 16:58 and tutorials, it would simply be unsafe any other way. Resistence to changing learning/teaching patterns come primarily from certain lecturers not students ! often on line learning is not appropriate for younger students- they want and need the on campus experience to develop themselves both intellectually and socially My main concern about on line teaching & learning is the loss of the immediate teaching and learning that occurs for students & tutor through small group interactive tutorial sessions. I am also concerned about staff becoming isolated in an office space or at home, 'stuck' at a computer communicating with students & staff individually or in groups. I can see the advantages of using webcams, video/audio conferencing etc and accept there will increasingly be a place for this way of teaching and learning. However, I feel concerned that this is not 'real' and wonder how as student healthcare practitioners this kind of learning experience will impact upon patient & family care. This took more than 10mins to complete!! Some of the questions were ambiguous - the ones asking about hours did you mean contact hours or should it have included preparation? Also the ones where to inserted a number from 1-10 were they supposed to be in order 1-10 but there weren't 10 questions or did you mean each question could be from 1-10. i took the latter approach but it was very unclear. 164
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