QA48Form1 UG SSLC Annual Report
STAFF / STUDENT LIAISON COMMITTEE
ANNUAL REPORT FOR UNDERGRADUATE SSLCs in 2012/13
It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure that a SSLC Annual Report is completed, in consultation with
student and staff members of the Committee (QA48 Section 7.1), by Friday 2 August 2013.
Please type this Annual Report and return electronically via email:
To: Advice and Representation Centre, Students’ Union, academicreps@bath.ac.uk
CC: Learning and Teaching Enhancement Office, learningandteaching@bath.ac.uk
1. Which degree programmes are covered by this Staff / Student Liaison Committee?
MPharm
USPAAFM03
USPAAFB02
USPAAKB02
USPAAKM02
BSc (hons) Pharmacology (Full-time)
BSc (hons) Pharmacology (Thick Sandwich)
MPharmacology (hons) (Thick Sandwich)
(Delete as applicable)
No
Yes
Is this SSLC for:
Undergraduate programmes only?
Undergraduate and postgraduate programmes?
2. Membership
Name
Chair
Secretary
Dr Jane Sutton
Ms Yuvika Rampal
Jo Davis
Online Election Process Contact
Dr Philip Rogers
(i.e. the member of staff within the
academic department responsible for
liaising with the SU over the annual
online election process)
Number of staff members:
5
Number of UG student members:
17
Number of PG student members:
1
Student?
Staff?
(Delete as applicable)
No
Yes
(Delete as applicable)
Yes
No
(N/A; should be a
member of staff)
Yes
(No; must be a
member of staff)
Yes
Invited to attend?
Receives Minutes?
(Delete as applicable)
Yes
(Delete as applicable)
Yes
Faculty Reps, Students’ Union, on the Board of Studies
Yes
Yes
Education Officer, Students’ Union
No
Yes*
(Not routinely invited to
attend)
(Not routinely invited to
attend)
(Not routinely invited to
attend)
Yes*
Subject Librarian
(SUeducation@bath.ac.uk)
Secretary to the Board of Studies
Secretary to the Faculty / School Learning, Teaching and
Quality Committee
Representation and Research Manager, Students’ Union
(academicreps@bath.ac.uk)
* Should routinely receive minutes of SSLC meetings
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Yes*
Yes*
3. Meetings
How many times has the SSLC met during this academic year?
4 standard meetings and 1 open meeting
If there were fewer than 4 meetings this year, please indicate why
N/A
4. Items, Issues and Good Practice
This table is to record key issues and topics. These will be used to inform an institutional-wide report from the
Students’ Union detailing items that both the University and Students’ Union should consider in 2013/14.
Example areas (this is not a
comprehensive list of topics
covered; feel free to add
details of others issues
covered by your SSLC)
Last year’s SSLC Annual
Report
Programme content and
delivery (but not individual
lecturers), changes to existing
units / programmes and
proposals for new units /
programmes
Record key items
discussed
Made available for
students to comment on
via Moodle
Meeting 1.
QA48 and requirements of
SSLC.
Any example(s) of Good
Practice
Any action taken
Encourage understanding
of University role and
student participation
Students encouraged to
elect a Chair from their
membership
Members signposted to
copy of QA48
Minutes of meeting on
7/03/2012 agreed with one
minor amendment
Consultation of students
Approved
An SSLC Open Meeting to
be held in December
Encouraging student
participation
Documents for Good
Practice Discussion to be
circulated for discussion at
meeting 2
Consultation of students
Agreed to discussion at
next meeting
Recording of lectures. Still
on-going from last year.
Listening to students’
concerns
Yuvika Rampal to design
questionnaire to be sent to
students regarding some of
the concerns of staff. The
results of this to be fed into
the University-wide
consultation
Response to student
needs
Yuvika Rampal had
designed and prepared a
draft questionnaire for
approval by the
Committee. Christina
Dumitriu (SSLC rep) is
currently Faculty rep and is
undertaking a research
project on the recording of
lectures with particular
focus on international
students. She agreed to
share her findings.
Election of Chair.
Yuvika Rampal (MPharm
3) and
Dr Jane Sutton elected as
joint Chairs
Meeting 2
The use of technology in
lectures including smart
phones, tablets and
recording equipment
Page 2 of 8
Three unit changes
discussed
Involving students in
decisions about
programme content
Approved
Good Practice Discussion.
Student Reps asked for
ideas for student
involvement in QA and
enhancement. One idea
had been put forward for
PG students to design the
questions that are included
in unit evaluations. This
could be adapted for UG
use.
Involving students in
decisions about evaluation.
Making evaluation of units
more student-focussed.
Dr Rogers to take these
ideas forward with a view
to incorporating them in
unit evaluation in the
future.
Meeting student’s needs.
Improving communication.
Dr Rogers to ask staff in
each of the disciplines to
communicate deadlines
amongst themselves to
ensure that the burden of
coursework is spread.
Meeting 3
Students commented on
deadlines for coursework
asking for these to be
spread out across the
semester where possible
Meeting 4 (OPEN)
The hand writing of year 1
essays was discussed with
reasons for and against.
Tier-5 visas for
international students are
likely to cause challenges
to some e.g. financial
Information to support
students in making
informed Unit choices
Ensuring that the
programme is kept up-todate
Answering students’
concerns
Meeting 1
Procedure outlined
Dr Rogers to discuss with
individual staff whether the
hand writing of essays is
still appropriate
The HoD brought the
students up-to-date and
will ensure that any
developments are
communicated to students
as soon as they happen
Unit evaluation forms to be
uploaded to Moodle. Reps
asked to look at these and
provide feedback.
Pharmacology students
asked for more choice in
UG research projects
Meeting 2
Discussion re maternity
leave of a member of staff
who runs a fourth year
option and how students’
choices might be
accommodated in other
units.
Meeting students’ needs
Reliant on availability of
staff but Dr Rogers to
investigate for next
academic year
Ensuring, where possible,
that students are able to
take the unit options of
their choice.
Students offered other
options.
Meeting 3
Staff were liaising with an
external agency to enable
Page 3 of 8
students to get some
experience of the course
that was cancelled due to
maternity leave
Meeting 4
Open Meeting
No matters raised
Timetabling
Meeting 1
Students requested a more
user-friendly means of
accessing the timetable
Meeting 1
Time give over for
discussion of this with a
number of ideas coming
from students
Meeting 3
No issues raised
Group work
Meeting 4
Dr De Bank raised the
issue of his tutees working
a nine hour day because of
the timetable. It was
suggested that in the
future, draft timetables be
assessed by students to
ensure that such issues
are minimised. Students
were asked to volunteer to
do this during the summer
and to contact Dr Rogers if
they were interested.
Meeting 1
(see student support)
Meeting 1
Ideas taken forward to
departmental IT specialists
and application now
available for smart phones
and tablets
Staff being aware of
students needs and
rectifying problems.
Meeting 2
No matters raised
Meeting 3
No matters raised
Meeting 4
No matters raised
Open meeting
No matters raised
Assessment and
Feedback, including
examinations (if applicable)
Meeting 1
Student representation on
DTLQC
Unit report forms will be
uploaded to Moodle for
students’ comments
Meeting 2
Student reps asked to
remind their fellow
students of the Computer
mobile online survey
First year rep said that
Participation encouraged
but Chair and DoT
expressed a wish that
students do not take on too
many responsibilities.
Suggested a different
student attend each
DTLQC to minimise burden
Transparency in unit
reporting
Student participation in
innovation
Preparing first year
students for exams of a
Page 4 of 8
1 student SSLC member to
attend DTLQC
Reports uploaded and no
comments received
300 responses received so
far
Dr Rogers to email staff
some lecturers had
uploaded key points in
preparation for exam
revision and that this was
particularly useful. They
asked that lecturers do this
for all subjects if possible.
different nature to their
school exams.
Meeting 3
A new system for
assessment of clinical
exams for MPharm
students had been put in
place to ensure patient
safety. This was discussed
with all present.
Ensuring that MPharm
students are fully aware of
patient safety concerns
with regards to pharmacy
practice.
asking that key points be
provided to students in
some form. This was done.
Students would be fully
briefed on the new
procedure prior to the
exam period. This was
done.
Meeting 4
(see next section on
‘Feedback Policy’)
Feedback Policy
Survey results (e.g. NSS,
Unit & Programme
Evaluations)
External Examiners
Reports and University
response
Skills development and
training
At meeting 4 Dr Rogers
asked students to visit the
feedback policy page on
Moodle and page 70 of the
student handbook and feed
back to him by the first
week of June. He
requested that they assess
it in terms of a statement of
policy and not on unit
issues, as these should be
in their own pages on
Moodle
Meeting 3
The process of Unit
evaluations was discussed.
Ensuring that students are
fully involved in
consultation and feedback
processes.
Unit evaluation results and
action plans were placed
on Moodle for SSLC reps
to disseminate with
colleagues.
These are placed on the
SSLC page on Moodle and
students are notified that
they are there. They are
invited to comment to Dr
Rogers.
Meeting 1
No matters discussed
Meeting 2
No matters raised
Meeting 3
No matters raised
Meeting 4
No matters raised
Meeting 5 (OPEN)
No matters raised
Student support (including
progress monitoring and the
Personal Tutor system)
Meeting 1
Support services outlined
Meeting 2
Due to staff changes some
Ensuring students’ are
aware of support network
to ensure their own and
each other’s wellbeing
Continuity of student
Page 5 of 8
Volunteer student scrutiny
of the draft PA-timetable
will take place in 2013-14
as a trial
students would be
allocated a new personal
tutor. Students involved
would be notified as soon
as possible
Meeting 3
Ms Marlene Bertrand –
University Equality &
Diversity Manager gave a
presentation on the effects
of E&D on teacher/student
behaviour and encouraged
students to take the online
test (all staff have done
this).
support
Students reassigned.
Ensuring that students are
fully aware of, and have
the opportunity to discuss,
all University policies that
relate to their experience at
the University of Bath.
Students wish to have a
rep with special
responsibilities for E&D
issues. This was discussed
with SU who felt this was
not necessary as all reps
should be aware of E&D
issues.
Meeting 4
No matters raised
Meeting 5 (Open)
No issues raised
Library provision (Was the
Subject Librarian invited to
attend to discuss relevant
issues?)
The subject librarian, Linda
Humphries is a standing
member and is invited to
and attends all meetings.
Meeting 1
Outlined her role as
subject librarian.
The library catalogue had
been updated over the
summer and Linda would
welcome students’
comments.
Last academic year there
had been problems with
students not logging off
from PCs and so others
could not use them. A new
system had been
introduced whereby PCs
automatically log off after
being idle for 20 minutes.
Linda asked for feedback
on this new system.
Meeting 2
New referencing guides
were available. Linda
asked for feedback from
students and staff.
Meeting 3
Some staff use different
referencing styles and
Meeting 4
Following feedback re
referencing guide it had
been decided that the
library should keep copies
of the different referencing
styles and these are
Responding to students’
needs
Ensuring library resources
match students’ needs
Maintaining continuity
Meeting student and staff
needs
Page 6 of 8
Dr Rogers would raise this
at the next departmental
meeting.
available on request at the
information desk
Meeting 5 (Open)
No issues raised
IT and / or e-Learning
provision (Was a member of
the relevant team invited to
attend to discuss relevant
issues?)
Other academic
resources (teaching
Meeting 2
Departmental IT advisor
invited to all future
meetings and he or his
equivalent to be co-opted
as a standing staff member
of SSLC in the future
See ‘Timetabling’
No issues raised – covered
in other sections
accommodation, research
facilities and electronic
resources)
Careers provision (Was a
representative of the Careers
Service invited to attend to
discuss relevant issues?)
Other issues or SSLC
initiatives (if the SSLC
covers both UG and PG
students, include, for example,
supervisory arrangements [but
not individual supervisors] and
research training)
No relevant issues.
students kept aware of visa
changes and work permits.
Requests had been made
last year for a water cooler
to be placed in the
Department
Forthcoming GPhC
reaccreditation of MPharm
programme discussed.
Students from across the
MPharm programme would
be asked to participate
This has been done
Including students in the
Regulatory process
Visas for international
students discussed in the
light of proposals for a 5
year MPharm programme
Students fully involved in
reaccreditation process.
Full consultation and
feedback provided.
Dr Rogers to report
immediately if there are
changes
5. Unresolved issues
Which of the issues discussed during this year remain unresolved and what steps are being taken to resolve them?
Timetabling issues remain a problem.
6. Online election process contact for 2013/14
Who will be the Online Election Process Contact for the academic department? (i.e. the member of staff within the academic
department responsible for liaising with the Students’ Union over the annual online election process to promote and to market the
online election process for student representatives)
Name:
Dr Philip Rogers
Ext.:
Email:
P.J.Rogers@bath.ac.uk
Page 7 of 8
7. Authorisation
It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure that a SSLC Annual Report is completed, in consultation with student and
staff members of the Committee (QA48: Section 7.1).
Chair of the SSLC
Signature:
Print Name:
Date:
In the absence of the Chair, the Annual Report may be signed-off by the Director of Studies or Secretary of the SSLC
Signature:
Print Name:
Date:
When you have completed this form, please return via email by Friday 2 August 2013:
To: Advice and Representation Centre, Students’ Union, academicreps@bath.ac.uk
CC: Learning and Teaching Enhancement Office, learningandteaching@bath.ac.uk
The form should be returned by this deadline even if you have further meetings scheduled in the current
academic year; the draft form should, where possible, be circulated to members of the SSLC for comment by
email.
The Secretary should keep a copy for departmental records AND place on the agenda for the first meeting of
the SSLC in the new academic year.
Page 8 of 8