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Student Voice Team www.upsu.net/quality-assurance | studentvoice@upsu.net |

Annual Quality Report 2014 During the 2013/14 academic year the University of Portsmouth Students’ Union has taken part in the Annual Quality Report Project (AQRP) led by the National Union of Students (NUS) in partnership with the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). This headline report provides a background to the project and its purpose, in addition to summarising some of the key findings from the Union’s own consultation with students this year.

Background Over the past three years the Union has been working towards having ‘a positive impact with every Portsmouth student’ and we are here to ensure the advancement of education of students at the University by promoting their interests and welfare during their course of study. By taking part in the AQRP we are working towards an approach that will, year on year, enable the ‘Student Voice’ to be empowered and embedded in the work that we do with the University to address the issues that students have experienced. We hope that the findings of the report and the commendations and recommendations included will be embraced by the University and that our Sabbatical Team for the 2014/15 academic year can work closely with University staff to work on the prioritised action plan that is included at the end of the main report. This can be found at www.upsu.net/quality-assurance.

Research process The key issues outlined in the report were identified through the Union’s own consultation with students, in addition to a consideration of the data provided through the National Student Survey (NSS) at the end of the 2012/2013 academic year. The report considers six key themes:

1. The Learning Experience 2. Assessment & Feedback 3. Centralised University Issues 4. Learning Resources 5. Personal & Professional Development 6. Student Engagement

In order to gather student feedback about these themes we developed two main ways of consulting with students. The first was the “Question of the Week”, which was a series of mini consultations over a six week period, with responses being collected both online and via face-to-face consultation with students. The second was the Student Voice Survey, which was a continuation of the Union’s ‘Big Conversation’, through which we have been consulting with students to identify key topics for the 2014-2017 strategic plan, ‘A Way of Life’. The Survey was approved by the Student Voice Group, with questions linked consistently to the themes of the AQR, but also formulated based on some of the key indicators identified in the QAA’s UK Quality Code for Higher Education. Findings from these consultations, in addition to the NSS data 2013, nominations from the Student Led Teaching Awards 2014, information gathered through participation of students on University committees, projects and work streams, and content of University reports and policy documents have been triangulated as part of our evidence base collection.

Key findings The Learning Experience We are able to recognise and celebrate the standard of teaching quality at the University of Portsmouth, which is acknowledged each year through the Student Led Teaching Awards and we have been pleased with the level of student engagement in the Foundation Pathway of the Academic Professional Excellence Framework (APEX) programme. However, students identified

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Student Voice Team www.upsu.net/quality-assurance | studentvoice@upsu.net |

that they still experience some inconsistency in teaching quality and that they are experiencing issues relating to communication within and between Departments. Therefore, we would like to see the development of a charter which specifically defines what Portsmouth students can expect of their learning experience in terms of teaching standards; we recommend that the University works with the Union to develop mechanisms to share good practice examples; and we would encourage the University to work with us to conduct a review of Departmental communication, engaging students in developing a unified strategy across Faculties.

Assessment & Feedback Through the nominations given by students for the ‘Best Feedback’ award category at the Student Led Teaching Awards we are able to identify examples of good practice in relation to giving helpful feedback and the students in our consultations indicated that they had generally received feedback on their work on time. However, students reported that they are experiencing the clustering of assessment deadlines and exam dates, resulting in difficulties in managing workloads, and that some of the feedback received has not been helpful in providing ideas about how work can be improved. Therefore, we recommend that assessment and exam dates should be determined so that they are further spaced out and that additional support should be provided to students to enable them to develop effective time management skills. Moreover, a working group of students from across Faculties should be established, coordinated by the University and the Union, to review and identify priority areas using the NUS ‘Assessment and Feedback benchmarking tool’. Such a review should contribute to the development of a specific Portsmouth Assessment & Feedback charter.

Centralised University Issues The Union recognises the work carried out by the Central Timetabling Unit and acknowledges its complexity and we have been pleased with the work carried out by student representatives, Chaplaincy, and the Estates Department which has led to the development of a prayer space for students being provided as part of the refurbishment of a University building. However, students continue to experience multiple issues in relation to timetabling, which impact on childcare arrangements, travel, and securing part-time employment, and the limited prayer facilities for some students had been impacting upon their learning and well-being. Therefore, we would like to see representation of the Central Timetabling Unit at the Student Representative & Senior Management Committee to enable issues to be effectively addressed. We also propose that the dialogue between Union representatives and the Estates Department continues to explore options for a permanent multi-faith facility/centre to accommodate the increasing number of students from different faith backgrounds. Learning Resources Students acknowledge the positive aspects of the facilities available to them at the University that aim to enhance their study and the Union welcomes the University Library ground floor refurbishment project in direct response to consistent student feedback. However, a common issue raised by students related to the quality of the IT facilities available, with specialised software and programmes not consistently available across campus and they continue to experience limited access to study spaces. Therefore, we would encourage a review of the programmes available on computers across the campus and we will be consulting with students to gather their responses to the new Library development.

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Student Voice Team www.upsu.net/quality-assurance | studentvoice@upsu.net |

Personal & Professional Development The positive work of personal tutors across the University was consistently acknowledged by students and students indicated that the chance to gain valuable practical experience and networking opportunities, in addition to the provision made by a variety of University services, have supported them in developing skills linked to their academic, personal and professional development. However, some students reported that they had not had a positive experience of personal tutoring and few respondents discussed the impact of the Personal Development Plan (PDP) scheme, which is a key aspect of the University’s Education Strategy. Therefore, the Union will consider the support available to students through the personal tutorial system and other services and how effectively these are being promoted and we propose a review of students’ feedback about PDP since its implementation in 2012.

Student Engagement At present there are a number of ways in which students are able to engage in discussions that aim to enhance their educational experience and we recognise the progress that has been made since the introduction of the Policy for Listening to and Responding to the Student Voice in 2012. However, whilst students recognise the opportunity to give feedback through Unit and Course questionnaires delivered by the University, they are consistently not being made aware of the changes resulting from the feedback they have provided and are not always aware of who their Course Rep is or what their role involves. Therefore, we believe that there is further potential to work with students so that they see themselves as partners in developing learning. This requires a more collaborative approach between the Union and the University in utilising student feedback, actively engaging Course Reps in communicating key findings and working towards practical solutions. Importantly, this also requires the development of clear mechanisms across Faculties for communicating the achievements of Course Reps and the actions taken as a result of student feedback. The Union is committed to continuing our work with the Associate Dean for Students across Faculties to ensure the visibility of Course Reps and would like to explore the experiences of Course Reps across the University in more detail to feed into future Annual Quality Reports.

Next steps Overall, we believe that the report provides a balanced overview of areas where the University is demonstrating good practice, in addition to those areas where there is scope for development. We aim to circulate the main AQR as widely as possible across the University and to encourage our Sabbatical Team for the 2014/15 academic year to work closely with University staff towards the identified recommendations. The work that the Union Student Voice Team have undertaken to date will also support the work being carried out to produce the Student Written Submission for the Quality Assurance Agency as they conduct their review of the University in March 2015. We hope to continue our work with University staff to develop good practice, ensuring that students are consistently engaged in quality assurance processes. We see the work that we do with Course Reps as being essential to this and we will be reviewing our training and support to ensure that aspects of quality assurance and enhancement are embedded in their role. Fundamental to our work as a Student Voice Team is that the participation of students more broadly in quality assurance leads to them benefitting from the contributions they have made. Overall, our aim through the Union’s 2014-2017 strategic plan, ‘A Way of Life’, is to ‘empower the Student Voice’, leading to the improvement of students’ educational experience at the University of Portsmouth.