How your voice has made a difference
This page provides an opportunity to see the valuable feedback received from students across a wide range of communication channels, and to see what the OU has done in response.
Please note this video is now a couple of years old so some people no longer have the same title. The current Students Association leadership can be seen on their website.
Choose a topic from the drop-down list below to see how students can have an impact on their university experience and be empowered to help shape the University. Next time you are asked to give your opinion, you know that the OU is taking this feedback seriously and will respond.
You said...
You wanted to see more colourful presentation of research…
We did...
…so we have made our website and reports fresh and colourful.
OU Students Association
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You said...
You said that students should be involved in the early stages of research…
We did...
...so we have introduced the role of Student Voice Researcher to bring students in at the very beginning of projects.
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You said...
You would like research to speak to students where they are…
We did...
...so we have created a Student Voice Twitter with a reach of over 800 students. During October, Freshers engaged with research questions via Twitter polls.
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You said...
Students should be represented by people who are able to identify and address issues affecting students in a manner that is understanding, proactive and timely.
We did...
We currently have over 100 students volunteering within Academic Representation and Student Voice related roles, putting OU students at the heart of university decision making. As part of our Association strategy we have committed to work alongside the OU to develop a Code of Practice for Academic Representation, which will seek to be an agreement which enables us to offer better information about rep work and achievements to the wider student body.
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You said...
There should be two-way communication between faculty and students on key issues, such as curriculum content.
We did...
The Faculty Association Representatives have this at the heart of their role. The Students Association conduct Faculty specific online chats in Freshers Week, which has the possibility to extend to other times in the year. Whilst this role in particular continues to develop, there may be the possibility for module websites to include relevant FAR details, as well as the opportunity for FARs to have reserved membership on our Senate Reference Group, and to work more closely with their faculty-specific academic services teams.
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You said...
We should be holding the University to account and making sure it maintains the highest academic standards.
We did...
The Students Association continues to hold The University to account and keep The Open University mission at its core. We have membership of many University committees /working groups that are designed to influence policy. This right is enshrined in the Student Charter and Relationship Agreement and applies to any committee whose terms of reference affect the student experience.
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You said...
There should be a clear agenda of what the Students Association wants to achieve, a strategy for achieving it, and a channel of communication that makes these things clear to students.
We did...
Our strategy continues to shape and influence the direction of travel for the Students Association and regular updates and outcomes are brought to each of the Central Executive Committee meetings for further information and input, of which all papers are available to our members via our website.
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You said...
Communication strategies that recognise that not all students are ‘natural engagers’ and may value a range of channels. This could include a tutorial-type activity.
We did...
It is recognised that due to the vast number of OU students, there is no one method of communicating with students. When information is sent out all channels (email, social media, and signposting to / from website, post and mail) are utilised. We are committed to ensuring that students who do not use social media are able to access equivalent information through our website and via email. We also offer a mailing list for student who prefer to receive a digest of news via a monthly email.
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You said...
There is confusion about how the Students Association and academic representation works with excessive jargon and initialisms, which doesn’t encourage engagement
We did...
We are aware of the confusing terminology, and this is outlined in our strategy as to remove the jargon from our roles and role descriptions. We understand that due to the complex nature of a lot of the Academic Representation related work the overall message about what we are doing and achieving can be lost. We are looking to produce clearer resources and content in the future, which includes the launch this year of the student voice bulletin, we have produced a video based on the work of the Senate Reference Group and we utilising a Student Voice Twitter account to release bite sized and digestible bits of information that relate to our work.
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You said...
You would like more opportunities to have a say in issues that matter to you in your studies.
We did...
We very much welcome your feedback and comments. There are a number of ways that you can let your voice be heard: in module and the NSS survey, via student consultative forums, via the student representatives on the Board of Studies, as well as working with staff on Student Partnership projects. These are all highlighted on the Science study site which you can find under the ‘Study’ tab on your StudentHome page.
Life, Health and Chemical Sciences
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