Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Staff / Student Liaison Committee Meeting – 6
June 2008
Present:
Dr Maria Nedeva (Associate Dean for Graduate Education – Chair); Lisa McAleese
(Senior Taught Programme Administrator, Faculty); Roohi Hussain (Combined
Studies); Francesca Fraser and Katherine Heatlie Jackson (School Arts, Histories &
Cultures); Baloko Makala (School of Education); Christopher Plummer (School of
Environment & Development); Prajakta Desai & Ons Shamaileh (Manchester
Business School) and Sam McKay, Josiah Okafor and Ingrid Storm (School of
Social Sciences)
In Attendance: Rachel Beckett (Faculty of Humanities Librarian); Peter Jacomb (Faculty of
Humanities Estates); Guy Percival (Faculty of Humanities IS Manager) and Andrew
Whitmore (Assistant Director, Careers Service).
Secretary:
Brenda Dakers (Teaching & Learning Assistant, Faculty of Humanities).
1.
Introduction from the Associate Dean for Graduate Education.
Reported:
Dr Nedeva introduced herself and outlined her role as Associate Dean for Graduate
Education in the Faculty and thanked the student representatives for attending. She
explained that the intention was to have an open forum where students set the
agenda raising any issues that are matters of general concern to undergraduate
students such as IT, careers, library etc. Matters that are specific to individual
programmes are, however, best dealt with at School level, unless they have not
been satisfactorily addressed / resolved and then they can be raised at this forum.
Both undergraduate and taught postgraduate student representatives had been
brought together this time as the issues raised are often similar.
Received:
The notes from the Undergraduate Staff / Student Liaison Committee meeting of 21
November 2007 and the notes from the meeting with the PGT Student
representatives of 29 November 2007.
Ref 1.3
Water Fountain Provision
Reported:
The Head of the John Rylands University Library is investigating having water
coolers sited in the library.
2.
Library Related Issues
2.1
Availability of key / core texts
Reported:
The difficulties part-time students (in IDPM) experienced as there was only one
copy of key texts available for long-term loan and three copies on short-term loan.
Noted:
Students should alert both the library staff and the academic responsible for the
delivery of the course unit when such difficulties arise. Certain library staff have the
authority to take the decision to release some reference material into short-loan; the
names and contact details of all library staff can be found on the website.
Permission can be sought to take reference material out of the library. The contact
names and details of the staff are on the Library’s website.
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Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Staff / Student Liaison Committee Meeting – 6 June 2008
2.2
Accessibility
Reported:
It was reported that students experienced difficulties in tracking down relevant
library staff. Ms Beckett reported that there is a move towards all staff using
electronic diaries so that it is easier to track their movements / availability.
It is difficult to know which staff stationed at the help desks can help with library
related issues and which can help with IT related issues; IT support staff are
stationed on the right of the desk and library support staff on the left.
The students suggested that the desk should be clearly signposted or each support
service have a separate desk.
It was reported that the IDPM desk was shut; the main desk on the purple grid is the
main desk for the IDPM discipline and students will be directed there from
September.
Noted:
There are currently discussions taking place on where to site the main information
desk.
Several students reported difficulties in finding their way round the library.
Noted:
The main library will be opening earlier during key periods e.g. exams. Next year
the library will be piloting 24hr opening during the exam period.
2.3
Missing books
Reported:
It was also reported that books, which should have been on the shelves, were
missing; students should report any occurrence of this to the library staff.
2.4
Print Credit
Reported:
Students would welcome more print credit machines sited next to the computer
clusters.
Noted:
An on-line payment system is currently being investigated.
2.5
Core / Key Texts
Reported:
It was reported that there are not enough core books, especially in the economics
discipline.
A small group from the Library is currently investigating alternatives such as study
packs and provision of key texts on-line; the report is due out at the end of the
month.
It was suggested that perhaps the fines could be raised for late returns and these
monies be ring fenced to buy more core texts in those disciplines where the fines
were received.
Academic staff need to inform the library of the books that are required for their
teaching. There is a procedure for this and staff are informed of this.
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Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Staff / Student Liaison Committee Meeting – 6 June 2008
2.6
Return of short-loan books
Reported:
Students reported that they had been fined when they had returned short-loan
books in the required time-frame, as the books had not been registered as returned
on that day.
Action:
Ms Beckett to investigate the situation and report back findings to the Faculty.
Noted:
A self-scanning service for the depositing of books is currently being investigated.
Reported:
Students would like to be able to return books to any site in the library and not just
the site from which they were borrowed.
Ms Beckett explained that the return of books to the sites from which they were
borrowed is key in order to get the books back onto the shelves as quickly as
possible.
2.7
Maintenance of the Toilets
Reported:
Students complained about the maintenance of the toilets in the library.
Action:
Students to report any maintenance issues to the library staff who will report the
issues through the appropriate channels or students can report any issues by
emailing: estates@manchester.ac.uk
3.
Estates Related Issues
3.1
Unsuitable Rooms
Reported:
That the students felt that rooms LG9 and LG10, in Coupland 3, were not suitable to
be used as teaching rooms due to the low constant hum of the ventilators and
insufficient ventilation when the room was at capacity.
Noted:
An engineer had conducted a report on the rooms in December 2007.
Action:
Mr Jacomb to investigate the situation and report back findings to the Faculty.
Reported:
Students queried why the Arthur Lewis Building didn’t have any teaching space
when the services in the Dover Street Building had been closed down but the
students were still using it.
Decisions on building use was not an issue that could be addressed in this forum.
3.2
Equipment Issues
Reported:
That equipment (projector) in one of the rooms in the Dover Street Building was
broken and hadn’t been fixed (for the whole year).
The servicing and maintenance of the equipment is under the remit of media
services. Problems with equipment should be reported to media services.
Reported:
The thermostat in room G9, Bridgeford Street Building was set too high during last
semester (February – April) making the room uncomfortable to work in.
Action:
Mr Jacomb to investigate the situation and report back findings to the Faculty.
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Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Staff / Student Liaison Committee Meeting – 6 June 2008
Reported:
The air conditioning in the Arthur Lewis Building had been on permanently making
working in the rooms uncomfortable.
Staff in the building had now been trained in how to operate the air conditioning.
Reported:
The noise from the external building work which was carried out outside the Dover
Street was excessive and disrupted classes.
Estates try to manage all building work, on campus, at times when it will cause the
least disruption; this is not always possible however.
Reported:
Students would welcome improved lighting in the Muriel Stott Library; they also
reported that the lamps were not working.
Action:
Mr Jacomb to investigate.
Reported:
Access, using swipe-cards, to the clusters in the Arthur Lewis Building had been
problematic.
This problem should have now been resolved.
3.3
Timetabling
Reported:
Students had difficulties in going from one lecture to another in the 10 minute slot
allocated for this, especially when the rooms were across the other side of campus.
Mr Jacomb reported that signposting could be improved across the campus and that
a new type of signage is being reviewed.
4.
IT Related Issues
4.1
Wireless Service
Reported:
Students reported that computers connected to the wireless facility, in the library,
shut off following 5 minutes of inactivity; you are returned to the home page by
default and not returned to the pages you were on.
The coverage in the library for wireless connectivity is patchy.
Mr Percival reported that the signal strength depends on the level of usage and how
close you are to the hub. This will improve as the service is developed; the
University is currently looking at increasing wireless access in the main and other
libraries.
Action:
Mr Percival to investigate the issue with the time-outs and report back to the
Faculty.
Students to inform the Faculty of any areas within the library or across campus
where it would be potentially beneficial to have wireless access and any difficulties
they have experienced with the wireless coverage.
4.2
Log-in Issues
Reported:
The length of time to log in to computers was reported as excessive, with reports of
10 minutes or more.
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Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Staff / Student Liaison Committee Meeting – 6 June 2008
Noted:
When you log-in the computer personalises the facilities and icons that are available
to you.
All accesses are logged and the overall picture reviewed regularly.
Action:
Mr Percival to investigate the perceived excessive length of time to log in and report
back to the Faculty.
4.3
Scanner Issues
Reported:
Students do not feel that there is sufficient advertising of scanner locations and
would like scanners in the library.
There may be copyright issues relating to scanning digital images.
Action:
Mr Percival to ensure better advertising.
Ms Beckett to investigate placing of scanners in the library and the issue of copy
right.
4.3
Cluster Support for Owens Park and JRULM
Reported:
Students were concerned that machines appear to be left in a dysfunctional state for
what they believe to be an unnecessary length of time (weeks rather than days).
They do not report the fact that the computers are not working rather move on to
one that is; it is not obvious to the students how to report a fault.
Noted:
The Faculty pays a group of students to check, each day, that the cluster machines
are working and if not to put a sign on them; the computers are normally fixed within
24hrs.
Action:
Mr Percival to investigate the length of time taken to react to failures.
4.4
Printer Issues
Reported:
It was reported that the printers in the Arthur Lewis Building are not always working
and take a long time to be fixed.
Action:
Mr Percival to investigate if more checks can be made to see that printers are in
working order and if paper / toner etc can be held with staff in the building.
5.
Careers Related Issues
Reported:
The Careers Service offers advice and guidance to students as well as running a
range of events and programmes throughout the year. The Careers Service have a
relationship with c. 13,000 companies and advertise c. 100,000 vacancies a year as
well as attending targeted careers fairs; a virtual version of the 07 Graduate Fair is
available at:
http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/careers/aboutus/events/careersfairs/gradu
aterecruitmentfair/
The Careers Service also runs the Manchester Leadership Programme (MLP) which
aims to enrich the learning and boost the employability of students at The University
of Manchester. The MLP consists of two parts ‘Leadership in Action’ (10 or 20
credits) and volunteering activity (60 hours in total). Successful completion of both
elements qualifies students for the prestigious Manchester Leadership Award.
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Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Staff / Student Liaison Committee Meeting – 6 June 2008
The Careers Service also offer a career management skills (CMS) course unit (20
credits at level 2) specifically for Humanities students in the discipline areas of:
combined studies; arts, histories and cultures; language, linguistics and cultures;
geography; social sciences (not BA Econ); law.
Secretary’s Note: Further information on the CMS course unit can be found at:
http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/careers/improveyourjobprospects/careerm
anagementskills/humanities/
The Careers Service is considering getting rid of the paper bulletins.
The Careers Service is undertaking an audit of its website and will be conducting
focus groups.
Action:
Students to forward any comments about the Careers Service website to the
Careers Service.
6.
Any Other Business
No other business was considered that didn’t fit in with the categories above.
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