Minimising Disconnect And Distance

From my prior experience of university, I know first hand how feeling disconnected and distant from studies can negatively affect engagement and results. In many cases, people do not intentionally reduce engagement, there are many factors that may cause it and not all can be controlled. Where possible, I seek to minimise the ones that can be limited such as lack of clarity in assessments/feedback.

Student Financial Wellbeing

Economically, we live in difficult and historically unusual times. Most people would expect essentials to be cheap and luxuries to be expensive, however current reality is the opposite. The price of appliances and technology has fallen greatly even in just the last 10 years while many find themselves price out of their local housing market. Combined with rising general and youth unemployment, it is not a surprise that many students feel financially constrained. Nobody can fix these issues alone but I aim to help in the ways I am able to, specifically helping to improve awareness of what financial support is available

Grade Inflation

The proportion of first class degree among all degrees awarded has increased significantly compared to previous decades. This trend has happened across small and large universities and even beyond the UK in other countries. Currently, these is not a positive consensus on the increase being solely due to genuine factors such as improvements in teaching. This issue has the potential to erode the very foundation of the higher education system over time and as such, we most place a large emphasis on resolving it. I aim to provide guidance and advice to students on this issue and share information about the progress being made on it

Student Clubs And Societies

I was surprised to learn that applications for new clubs and societies are currently suspended to allow the association to review relevant policies and procedures. The Open University has no shortage of creative and intelligent students who would desire to create and participate. While carefully considered policies are important, it is critical that systems not be disrupted for extended periods of time. I would seek to minimise the current downtime and any future downtimes as far as is reasonable and without compromising the overall integrity of the system

Assessment Marks And Appeal Feedback

I recently received a module assessment back and after reviewing it, I felt some elements of the marking were incorrect. I followed the process for an informal appeal but felt many issues still remained. I decided to pursue a formal appeal on academic grounds. Unfortunately, the formal appeal achieved nothing. The mark was confirmed which was not the outcome I was hoping for but more importantly I received zero specific feedback or answers to the questions I put forward. I believe that while processes are being completed, they are not completed to a satisfactory level, falling short of the outcome the policies were written to achieve. I would seek to push for progress on this front, I aim to have detailed feedback included by default for every appeal