Priority Updates Approvals Statements Student Issues
Social Media Conversations Achievements Other news
We need you!
PRIORITY AREAS STEERING TEAM UPDATES
After constructive conversations on each of the priority areas at the last quarterly Student Leadership Team meeting, a series of actions were agreed to take away and progress.
The EDI & Accessibility steering team’s focus has been on the impact of receiving late alternative learning formats on disabled students and students in secure environments.
The Communities & Engagement steering team have been developing the idea of an OU students meet-ups days pilot around module results announcements in July 2023.
The Association Awareness team has been exploring how the Association is presented in students’ module spaces and how this can be improved.
The Representation steering team has been focusing both on creating new opportunities for OU students to have their say, and on improving the existing forums for student voice to influence the University’s decision-making processes.
All four steering teams will meet ahead of April’s Student Leadership Team meeting to discuss their progress before leading conversations on each of the priority areas in the quarterly meeting.
For more information on the work being done in the Student Leadership Team’s four priority areas, please visit the Our Priorities area of the website.
SLT APPROVALS
This section shows the approvals given by the SLT between the 20th January and the 28th March 2023.
Scottish Psychology Committee - Review and Next Steps report – Approved 17 March 2023
Decision on whether to disaffiliate the Mountaineering Society – Approved 15 March 2023
SLT STATEMENTS
These are statements issued by members of the SLT in response to certain issues in the last 3 months.
Tommy Rowlands leaves Student Leadership Team
Pause on UCU strike action in industrial dispute – 20 Feb 2023
Student Leadership Team Progress Priorities at Quarterly Meeting – 17 Feb 2023
Association appoints permanent CEO and Chair of Trustees – 8 Feb 2023
New process for OU to request student involvement in meetings – 30 Jan 2023
Goodbye Central Executive Committee, hello Student Leadership Team – 27 Jan 2023
OU commits to including students on interview panels – 26 Jan 2023
Lifting the lid on Student Leadership Team quarterly meetings – 24 Jan 2023
OU Student voices heard in TEF submission – 24 Jan 2023
Six months of representation from the Student Leadership Team – 23 Jan 2023
Student Leaders raise awareness of student mental health – 23 Jan 2023
Action on the environment and sustainability! – 17 Jan 2023
STUDENT ISSUES
These are the issues that have come to the attention of SLT members since their last meeting
Face to Face events
Several students had expressed a desire for a greater number of in-person events. They were signposted by the VP Administration to the Association calendar which lists all the upcoming meet ups. In person Freshers events have however, recently been held in Milton Keynes, Wales and Scotland so keep an eye out for events similar to these on our website and social media. If you are interested in setting up a meet up, then please reach out to oustudents-community@open.ac.uk
Accessibility and Understanding of Students’ Disabilities
Some students, in particularly new students, were concerned about the OU’s understanding of their accessibility needs and related disability and/or health condition. VP EDI provided these students with information on how to access their personal information so they can check that the OU is holding the correct information about their needs and conditions, in order to provide the appropriate support. VP EDI has since received positive feedback and has helped students feel more settled during the start of their study journeys.
OpenStudio
Concerns were raised by some students about learning how to use OpenStudio. The STEM faculty rep raised this with the STEM faculty and has since been searching the OU’s online materials for more information and guidance on this to signpost students to.
Plagiarism
Further concerns were raised by students participating in the online consultation regarding the OU’s processes for dealing with cases of possible plagiarism. The STEM faculty rep raised this with staff in the faculty and members of the Student Leadership Team. If you are facing issues due to a case of plagiarism and require support, please follow this link where a member of the Individual Representation team will be able to assist: Individual representation service (oustudents.com)
SCONUL Access
Some students had raised that post-Covid, SCONUL access had been temperamental as despite the Open University making sign ups to the service available, some Universities are not permitting entry after application and the problem remains unsolved. VP Engagement has passed this concern to the library directly and is awaiting a response.
Association Membership
A complaint raised by some students was regarding the automatic membership to the Association. It was expressed that this was misleading as to access the Association website and related opportunities, a further login is required as students are unable to use their university sign on. Jess Smith has outlined why this is not possible:
ACHIEVEMENTS WITHIN THE STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM
These are some of the achievements made by the Student Leadership Team since the last quarter
Freshers
In January, the President and wider Student Leadership Team had the opportunity to connect with old and new students at its freshers events. The first of the year was launched online and being hosted by the President. It was lovely to hear the discussions between the students and taking the opportunity to connect. These were very successful with very positive feedback, both online and in person.
Environmental & Sustainability Working Group
This group have made closer links with the OU who will now be joining the meetings for 20 minutes every month to ensure better sharing of information and opportunities.
Student Consultations
Members of the Student Leadership Team facilitated student consultation around the county. These provided the opportunity to meet and hear from many students on what matters to them and raise awareness of the Association. The consultations were student focused, with the main aim of gathering the students voice on many topics. It was a pleasure to be able to meet new and continuing students and to continue to the support the feeling of belonging as a Student.
EDI & Accessibility
VP EDI and the Projects Officer (EDI) from the staff team ran a mini Mindapples session on the 9th March to celebrate University Mental Health Day. The session was a success and generated a lot of conversation and sharing of mental wellbeing tips.
Incoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Students introduction
The Deputy President presented to the incoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Students, Ian Pickup, on the work of the Students Association when representing students at the OU and externally.
Awareness Steering Group
The Faculty Rep for WELS has been involved in the awareness steering group and has participated in the meetings to help progress the work of the group.
MSc Maths Colloquia
The Faculty Rep for STEM has established a Msc Maths Colloquia, which is running well.
Representation
The President represented the student voice at the HEFCW institutional visit at OU in Wales Cardiff. The President spoke out regarding the experience of an OU student, and how a typical OU students study journey is often very different to that of a student that studies at a conventional University. The President also drew from her own experience of being a student, and that often due to external circumstances OU students often start and stop their studies, continuing at a later date as the OU allows this to be done and to complete a qualification within a generous time period. This was raised to highlight that external funding providers should take this into account when making their decisions and implementing policies.
VP EDI will be working with the Student Policy Working Group as their first ever student rep. This is a great opportunity to ensure the student voice is being heard in all aspects of the OU’s work.
The President and Deputy President had the opportunity to be a member of the Panel at the Scholarship Plan stakeholder event which was conducted online for members of OU Staff, once again ensuring that the students voice is heard.
In February, the President attended a Teaching and Learning workshop. During the workshop the President continued to speak out regarding how current systems impact students, and to ensure that students are at the forefront of any decisions.
Association Awareness
In a bid to be transparent and showcase some of the work that she has been doing, the VP EDI has written some articles for the Hoot. This included a write up about the Race Equality Week challenge, The launch of the Support group committee elections and an article to Inform students of the volunteering opportunities available in the upcoming Access Participation and Success Conference.
Student Partnerships Presentation
The President and Deputy President gave a presentation at a conference on the importance of student partnership in scholarship activities at the OU. This presentation will influence the development of the new Scholarship Plan at the OU.
Fusion Newsletter
The Faculty Rep for STEM has been working hard editing the new Fusion Newsletter which will be shared with STEM students in due course.
Lifelong Learning Manifesto
Work has continued on the development of the Student Association’s Lifelong Learning Manifesto, with an anticipated launch date coming this Autumn. This work will help raise awareness of the importance of Lifelong Learning and highlight some key barriers to participation in higher education learning.
Changes to the Classification Algorithm
We were delighted when after many years, the changes that were required to the Classification Algorithm finally passed. This now brings all OU students final qualification decisions in line with other universities, ensuring that all OU students receive the final Degree classification that they have worked so far for, without the additional hurdles
SLT SOCIAL MEDIA CONVERSATIONS
Following the launch of the Student Issue Reporting Tool, Lou and Gareth have engaged in conversations with students on various topics relating to their student experience.
Gareth attended a meeting with the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and raised the impact of the Cost of Living Crisis on part-time/distance learners alongside other Student Union officers.
Kaz balanced volunteering with some late night study sessions and with studying with fur study buddy!
Margaret discussed balancing travel to the WonkHE Secret Life of Students Conference, meetings at the OU Milton Keynes campus, and being an OU Student with the pressure of assignments.
Gareth was the first member of the Student Leadership Team to take part in the Mental Health First Aider Training.
Natalie shared some support services available for OU students around the time of Mother’s Day, which can often be a difficult day for many students.
Lou shared her excitement at volunteering at the OU’s graduation ceremony at the Barbican, and encouraged others to get involved.
Margaret, Kaz and Natalie helped kick off the annual student consultations at the first session on the 4th March.
Our Deputy President, Gareth, and STEM Rep, Nigel, attended a STEM event in the Cardiff office with staff members Lara and Hannah to promote the Students Association.
Natalie shared some resources from the OU Library on the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community.
Lou discussed the work of the OU Students Association Environmental & Sustainability Working Group, including a presentation from the OU and free Carbon Literacy Training.
Gareth shared his disappointment that distant learner students in England will still not be able to receive maintenance support when the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement is introduced.
With module registration for October opening, Natalie was quick to enrol on her final module!
Elizabeth shared with students an article on The Hoot from the Bereaved Students Club.
Natalie wrote an article as part of Race Equality Week.
WE NEED YOU!
The SLT are working on a variety of projects, and some would like your student feedback!
What do you think the Association can do to better support societies in hosting events and running activities? Please email Michael , VP Admin, with your suggestions.
I am interested to know if there are any areas of EDI that you feel needs closer attention, or is there something that could improve the student journey/ make it more accessible? Please email Natalie , VP EDI with your feedback.
Laura, VP Education would like to know if you are aware of the OU's policy on ‘Special Circumstances’? Please reach out to her via the Association forum at ‘OU Students Community’
What would you like to see included at a Results Day face-to-face meeting? You can feed back your ideas to Cazz, VP Community, using the OU Students Association’s Facebook page.
OTHER NEWS
Student Issues Reporting Tool Launched
The SLT and the wider Students Association are always looking for ways to hear from students about issues that are affecting their student experience. In response to this, the Students Association has launched a new reporting tool to allow students to feedback directly. Ahead of their quarterly meetings, the SLT will then pick the top issues to be discussed in more depth and, where necessary, any actions to be taken.
National Student Survey (NSS)
With the annual National Student Survey in full swing, our VP Engagement Lou has been working closely with the OU on its communication strategy. This has included feeding in what is working and any disgruntlement from the student body. The NSS is an important mechanism to hear what students think about their university experience, and getting as many students as possible to take part is vital to its success.
The 2023 National Student Survey is open – 16 March 2023
2023 Tutor Awards Launched
Following the success of the 2022 Tutor Awards, we have been delighted to launch the 2023 Tutor Awards. Have you benefited from a tutor that has gone above and beyond to support you when studying at The Open University in the last 18 months? The Open University Students Association Tutor Awards 2023 is your chance to make sure that they are acknowledged. Nominate your tutor here.
Group Elections
Our VP Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Natalie has been supporting our protected characteristic groups, OU Pride and the Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Group, as they hold their annual elections. With results due to be announced imminently, the SLT are looking forward to working with the newly elected committee members.
Access, Participation and Success
Natalie has also been supporting the OU as they get ready to host their 7th Biennial International Access, Participation and Success Conference on the 26th and 27th April 2023. Both Natalie and our WELS representative Nichola will be speaking at the event as it explores how the HE (Higher Education) sector can provide equity of opportunity for students.
Cost of Living Crisis and the Higher Education Sector
The Student Leadership Team have supported the Students Associations submission to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Students on the effect of the Cost-of-Living Crisis on students. In addition to this, Gareth, our Deputy President, has raised this issue at a meeting of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.
Student Consultations
March saw us collaborating with the OU as they held their annual student consultations. Lou took the lead from the SLT, helping to organise our participation in 5 face-to-face consultations and 7 online consultations. The feedback gained from these sessions will prove invaluable as look to develop our new strategy over the coming months.
Freshers
Our Winter Freshers programme saw the return of face-to-face events in the nations, with Gareth hosting events an event in Cardiff and Edinburgh. These events proved to be popular, and demonstrated a desire for more face-to-face events in the future. This is something our VP Community, Cazz, is looking into alongside members of the staff team.
WONKHE’s Secret Life of Students Conference
In March, the President and Deputy President attended the Secret life of Students conference hosted by Wonkhe. The event was very informative as it highlighted current student issues within all Universities. It was an opportunity for Student Unions from small and large Universities to get together, discuss important student issues and to share best practice along with highlighted shared challenges.