What is the Top Ten?

The SU Bath’s Top Ten is a list of ten priority issues which we will be working with the University on over the year. This doesn’t mean that the Students’ Union does not work on other issues which arise throughout the year, but instead gives us a clearly defined set of priorities and goals at the beginning of the year to be working towards. The Students’ Union has been nationally recognised for its Top Ten with Officers and staff presenting this feature at a number of conferences.

Find out how our Top Ten are created here.

Our Top Ten this year is a broad and ambitious list but one that we feel very much reflects the needs of the student body at Bath. Should you have any questions, feedback or advice on how we might move forward with any of these issues, please contact us at suofficers@bath.ac.uk.

Top Ten Issues 2023-2024

During the 2023-2024 Academic Year, The SU is calling on the University to:

• Ensure safer sport through developing match day medic schemes.
• Develop a range of activities to reduce isolation and improve overall experience for PGT students.
• Increase the range of inclusive study spaces that meet the needs of all students.
• Ensure that all students can easily access recordings of all their lectures throughout the year.
• Ensure that students receive constructive assessment feedback that helps them improve.
• Develop doctoral professional development through work-based opportunities.
• Develop a housing strategy covering both University managed and private accommodation.
• Pilot early move in and arrivals week for new international students.
• Ensure all students have access to a financial safety net when needed, through a range of accessible scholarships, bursaries, hardship funds and other support.
• Working with First Bus to develop an accurate GPS service and live capacity information to keep students informed.

 

Our 100 words for each of the Top Ten

These are formulated between Officers and University staff to ensure the projects for each of these issues are crystal clear:

 

Ensure safer sport through developing match day medic schemes

A two-stage approach is required: 

1. The SU to undertake a mapping exercise of our current provision, requirements, and incident data. Use this to benchmark against other universities and best practices in the sector. This will identify potential options for improvement at Bath, including any resource requirements and implementation timelines. 
2. The University and SU to consider the potential options and agree upon way forward, considering resource availability. 

In the short term, improvements include the review and update of the medical protocol and enhancing communications to societies to raise awareness and knowledge.

 

Develop a range of activities to reduce isolation and improve overall experience for PGT students

We will focus on part-time and distance learning PGT students, with an aim to:

• Examine sector and local insight into what ‘belonging’ means for these cohorts, and the communities they are part of, to help our understanding.
• Analyse the student and staff voice data we currently have and identify any missing insight required in collaboration with key colleagues, e.g., the Learning Partnerships Office, academic departments, support services, students, and the SU.
• Assess what our partners (i.e., Wiley) are providing students in this area. 
• Using the gathered data, insights, and information, undertake a gap analysis to identify the courses we are most concerned about to help inform future possible developments.

 

Increase the range of inclusive study spaces that meet the needs of all students

• Explore options to maximise study space in the Library, including decant of computer lab
• Launch and evaluate sensory space in the Library
• Promotion of alternative study spaces on campus, other than Library
• Investigate options for additional study space in the City, including the Virgil Building
• Roll-out of additional power sockets to ensure charging capability in study spaces.

 

Ensure that all students can easily access recordings of all their lectures throughout the year

A multi-staged approach is required

1. Review the current lecture recording policy, as this was made during COVID, and refers to LOILs etc so is not currently relevant. Make sure that every department can relate to this, or do we need to look into the intricacies of how these vary across department.
2. Understand existing methods used for lecture recordings across the university – if people are recording, where they are storing it, how long is it available, is it clearly labelled, is it distributed in a timely manner.
3. GOATing – gather student feedback, how do students feel and experience their lecture recording stuff
4. Understanding any barriers to why students cannot or do not access their lecture recordings, as well as understanding from staff why they are hesitant to record lectures.

Outcome: Everyone has lecture recordings, easily available when they need them e.g., for revision and examination periods.

 

Ensure that students receive constructive assessment feedback that helps them improve

A three stage approach is required:

1. Understand what good feedback is constituted of – building on the work of CLT / Abby Osbourne. Seeing good practice across the university e.g., HSS has granulated feedback sheets, maths gives out avg marks and distributions and how these methods can be applied across departments. This is also where we may address timing and existing policy (is this department varying?), and understand how this is practically implemented.
2. What makes feedback constructive – feedback from students via focus groups etc. Understand what students believe helps them improve in future assessments – PAL feedback, ac reps at SSLCs – what are they calling for, examples of good and bad practice.
3. Measure and evaluate an improvement – via sheer grades but also via confidence (?).

Outcome: Students across the uni receive a better quality of feedback which markers feel confident in providing.

 

Develop doctoral professional development through work-based opportunities

A multi-stage approach is required. Specifically, we will: 

1. Use comments from previous PRES surveys to identify where students have been critical about existing professional skills development opportunities offered to them through the Doctoral College. 
2. Evaluate existing provisions that are available to doctoral students from across the university, as well as identify gaps in areas such as placements, industry-based internships, and grant writing support, whilst including opportunities from both inside and outside of Academia  
3. Engage Doctoral students to understand how they are using the existing services, focusing on both the usefulness of existing services, and the availability of services 
4. Ensure that doctoral students feel equipped and prepared for their next steps following their doctorate – whilst ensuring that the university have provided them with the same level of services (e.g., placements) available to both Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students.  

Outcome – that doctoral students are getting the same level of professional development support like that of UG and PGT, as well as see improved student feedback in PRES.

 

Develop a housing strategy covering both University managed and private accommodation

Pilot early move in and arrivals week for new international students

This is a complex issue, requiring input from numerous areas of the University and SU, and before setting up a pilot there are several phases required:

• Define what the problem is and the improvements we need to make for international taught student arrivals and welcome. Annual student welcome feedback and focus groups will help guide us.
• Decide how proposed changes and new interventions will add value to the international student welcome experience and define the outcomes we are aiming for.
• Identify if additional resources will be required to implement potential changes and undertake a benefits analysis.
• Ensure a clear evaluation methodology is in place and undertaken following any eventual pilot or new intervention/s.

 

Ensure all students have access to a financial safety net when needed, through a range of accessible scholarships, bursaries, hardship funds and other support

Working with First Bus to develop an accurate GPS service and live capacity information to keep students informed

• Schedule an initial meeting with First Bus to air the issues around buses/live-tracking on the network.  Follow up work to be overseen by Travel Advisory Group
• Propose a student focus group/mystery-shoppers who can provide regular feedback on the levels of service and any issues students are facing
• Push First Bus for more accurate live tracking and statistics on accuracy of information for bus users on the U1 and U2 routes
• Explore possible integration between the developing UoB Student App and the First Bus app.

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Find out how the Top Ten is decided