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Impact Report Term 1 2021/22

Thursday 09-12-2021 - 08:00

Celebrating Term 1

We asked the team to let us know what they’ve been working on this term. Here’s an overview of what your Students’ Union has achieved so far this year. 

We welcomed you to university

We ran Welcome events for students to socialise whilst staying safe. We also included more campuses than ever, with London, Birmingham and Cardiff campuses joining in on the fun. 

 

  • Group photo of our four sabbatical officers standing in a line posing.
  • Becky Bush and Becky Ricketts standing next to each other smiling.
  • three students sitting on massively oversized chair at same time whilst holding ice creams.
  • Three union staff members posing whilst holding brand merch at a Welcome Fair
  • Beach clean students
  • Spokes-people from NUS Wales at Welcome Fair
  • student in ceramics workshop talking to another student
  • Student riding mechanical bull.
  • Group of students talking to a representative at a stall
  • Students jumping on inflatable challenge

💰 Nearly £15,000 for students

  • In the first term of 2021/22, our Advice Team helped students secure bursaries, scholarships, fee discounts and compensation worth a total of £14,800.  

Clubs & Societies

  • 220
    Sign-ups     220 students have joined a Club or Society in the first term. 
  • 22
    First Aiders    We’ve trained 22 student first aiders. 
  • 37
    Trained    We’ve trained 37 students to help them develop their skills for managing their Clubs and Societies.
  • 5
    Events    5 events have been organised by our Clubs and Societies.

We recruited 35 SU Crew volunteers

In August we launched SU Crew and recruited 35 members. These are the friendly, helpful and tie-dye wearing volunteers at Union events and activities. You may have seen them at Welcome Week, Wellness Week and Give It A Go this year. They’ve been an amazing help. 

 

  • 5 students volunteering at Carmarthen Welcome Fair. Posing with hands in air, smiling.
  • Three students holding Union branded merchandise.
  • 6 students posing on massively oversized chair, smiling.
  • student on stall, talking to another student.

We’ve run over 150 events so far

We’ve been busy keeping you entertained with over 150 events so far. It’s been a mix of in-person and online events; there have been way too many to list them all here, but here are some of our favourite photos.  

 

  • Students down Gower, looking over the sea towards Worms Head
  • Student and dog, both with tongues sticking out.
  • Students petting dogs, smiling, dog is licking their face.
  • medieval archery
  • student in medieval armour.
  • Group of students talking to Union staff on the London Campus
  • Student posing in fluffy hat
  • students eating free pancake breakfast
  • Two Union staff on stall in London
  • Student on slide.
  • Students stretching in yoga session
  • Student on mechanical bull


Over 50 Give It A Go Events 

Between ourselves and our Clubs and Societies, we have delivered over 50 free events as part of Give It A Go. This includes taster sessions, activities like yoga and trampolining, creative sessions like watercolour painting and pottery, and days out at Rhossili and Pembrey Country Park.  

  • Large group of students down Gower holding pumpkins
  • Two students holding pumpkins
  • Group of students standing in a circle at dodgeball event
  • Student smiling with dodgeball
  • Group of students at dodgeball event.
  • Union staff member holding giant pumpkin
  • student in ceramics workshop
  • group of students playing volleyball
  • student smiling on beach in rainy weather.
  • student working with ceramics
  •  

Our Student Bars got a make-over

Earlier this year, we gave both our Carmarthen and Lampeter student bars a complete revamp. We took on board your ideas and suggestions to get the vibe just right. Comfory furniture, check - Fresh new look, check, Chill-out areas, TV's and games - check again. We're over the moon with the result.

 

Y Llofft, Carmarthen

  • revamped bar and seating.
  • close up of revamped bar and seating.
  • group of student drinking at table
  • two students with baby sitting on sofa

Old Bar, Lampeter

  • revamped bar with neon lighting
  • neon lighting saying Good Vibes Only
  • Revamped seating
  • revamped seating

Developments in London

  • New Office: We’re delighted to announce that we have a new office on our London Campus. Vanessa, Lucy and other visiting Union staff will be on-site more than ever. 
  • Growing London Team: Lucy joined our team as the Student Opportunities Coordinator for London & Birmingham campuses. It’s a brand-new role.
  • New Job: We’ll be hiring a Student Voice Coordinator to join the London team in the new year. 

Our busiest Autumn Elections yet

  • 6.4K
    Votes
  • 558
    Voters
  • 69
    Candidates
  • 25 Elected
    Officers

 

We filled a whole lot of vacant roles in our busiest Autumn Elections yet, with 6.4K votes from 558 students. We had 69 Candidates and 25 Elected Officers.

 

  • two staff members at voting stall
  • two students at voting stall holding free cacti
  • staff member at stall
  • group of student reading manifesto.

Course Rep Update

  • 320
    Recruited
  • 177
    Trained

We’ve recruited 320 Course Reps and trained 177 so far. Want to find your Course Rep or get involved, email studentvoice@uwtsd.ac.uk.

3 Empowering Brook Sessions

  • We want to help empower you with the knowledge and skills you need to navigate life's challenges - that's why we worked with the charity Brook to deliver three Brook Sessions, each covering a unique topic and led by an industry professional. We talked about Sexual Health, LGBTQ+, and Drugs and Alcohol.

Advice when you need it

  • 97
    Cases
  • 49
    Enquiries

 

  • In the first term alone our Advice Team has helped 146 students across 97 cases and 49 enquiries.   

Black History Month

In October, we celebrated Black History Month and recognised the achievements of the community. Throughout the month we shared stories, information and activities. At the end of the month, we ran a free book giveaway, which had over 125 people enter. 

Annual Quality Report

We’ve created our Annual Quality Report. The report brings together feedback from students on what is going well during the year, but also what could enhance the experience. It outlines recommendations for the University and Students' Union to collaboratively undertake.

 

Completed

The University to continue and encourage the use of across the University of the inter-active applications (e.g., Kahoot, Whiteboard) to support delivery of discussion and content within teaching sessions.
  • The University has setup two blended learning groups (Leadership and EdTech) in order to drive forward blended learning in the institution and promote and recommend best practice.  
  • The EdTech group in particular is actively looking at existing, and also new, innovative technical solutions to enhance teaching sessions such as those identified here. 
For the Students’ Union and Academic Office to consider how mechanisms such as Academic Support Tutors (or equivalent) can further convey the digital connectivity bursary within the first few weeks of starting the programme.
  • The University has undertaken planning for both 1m and 2m distance as part of the timetabling approach 
  • All students will receive their timetable 6th September to provide students time to prepare for the start of term 
  • Programmes have been provided a status of ‘blended’, ‘online’, and ‘in-person’ based on criteria agreed at committees 
  • Communication of what is open and how teaching is delivered is being communicated through videos as part of welcome and induction and embedded within the university’s FAQs 
The University should to the best of its ability commit to time period that students can expect to receive of in person delivery and/or access to practical spaces during their academic year.
  • The university has undertaken planning for both 1m and 2m distance as part of the timetabling approach 
  • All students will receive their timetable 6th September to provide students time to prepare for the start of term 
  • Programmes have been provided a status of ‘blended’, ‘online’, and ‘in-person’ based on criteria agreed at committees 
  • Communication of what is open and how teaching is delivered is being communicated through videos as part of welcome and induction and embedded within the university’s FAQs 

Ongoing

For the University and Students’ Union to highlight best practice in relation to innovations in online teaching across the institution and create opportunities for this best practice to be shared across the University.   
  • Nexus conference provided an initial platform for sharing best practice 
  • Nexus+ learning and teaching framework this year 
  • New L&T Board (including two digital pedagogy and technology sub-committees reporting to this Board) 
  • LEAP Fellowship (9 fellowships across institutes supporting L&T enhancement) 
  • Survey conducted of university academic staff in relation to learning and development needs for L&T 
The University to make a commitment to retaining the possibility of meetings via Microsoft Teams for 1-2-1 tutorials and meetings with University Services.
  • Academic support tutor framework review will include this element and disseminated through induction
The university to continue and encourage the use of across the University of breakout rooms on Microsoft Teams to facilitate discussion and greater interaction among students.
  • The University continues to promote the use of teams, with a focus on staff digital skills to ensure those running Teams sessions have the capabilities to utilise breakout rooms.  
  • Currently utilising the Staff Teams Digital Resources site to promote teams and relevant training available via the Digital Skills Framework (for both staff and students), further work planned on a single Digital Resources site/page which will develop this further.  
The Students’ Union endorses the policy being submitted through committees to create consistent recording of materials across the university and recommends that the practice is regularly monitored in line with its commitments to ensure students can receive the benefits of this practice.
  • Policy has been approved through the university's committees 
  • Students' Union and Academic Officer working together on promoting the policy to students and staff 
Recognising that the Welsh Government independently make their own decisions that effect the delivery of education in the context of the pandemic the University should review the methods used to communicate these at the programme level. The University should work to ensure that there is a consistent approach taken to communicating what the changes mean at the programme level.
  •  The University and Students' Union are working collaboratively to communicate the new arrangements for the academic year 
  • Students’ Union has been consulted on the framework for return as well as the video communication 
  • At programme-level the Institutes are delivering induction which will support the relaying of appropriate information 
  • Academic Officer and HWB have further enhanced the checklist for programme managers for welcome and induction (created in a way for items to be checked off and submitted to HWB) 
That the university create a year-long communications plan (considering the different intake points for each learning centre and campus) for Digital Skills to further enhance student knowledge and uptake of the sessions available. This should include discussions about these opportunities with Academic Support Tutors within existing meetings.
  • A communication plan is to be created around Digital Skills 
  • The Head of Academic Services in LLR is also arranging for they and the new digital skills advisors to meet with senior management within the Institutes and to attend Institutes boards in the first term.   
  • The Digital Skills team are also reviewing current resources and potential new resources, a process to be completed by the end of October.   
Programmes should ensure that structured opportunities for students to build up relationships with their cohort exist within the induction and online delivery timetables.
  • At programme-level the Institutes are delivering induction which will support the relaying of appropriate information 
  • Centrally the university is delivering welcome both in-person (across all sites) and through Teams 
  • The Students’ Union will be supporting this work through in-person and online activities (through Welcome, Student Voice Inductions, and other updates throughout the year) 
The University should ensure that there is a consistent approach taken to the arrangement of sessions on Microsoft Teams for new starters unfamiliar with platform.
  • The University continues to promote the use of teams and relevant training available via the Digital Skills Framework (for both staff and students) 
  • The Digital Skills team are currently compiling a content development plan so we can identify what we have and what we need to meet student requirements.  
  • As part of this process we will look at creating resources to look at a baseline standards approach for Teams meeting setups to help with a consistent approach. 

That's a wrap

All this is just within the first few months on term. We're excited to see what we deliver with and for students next semester. Keep up to date on our socials: @uwtsdunion.

 

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