The Student View 2023 - Executive Summary

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Contents
1. A Word from the Students' Union President… Page 3
2. Reflection on the New Approach and Partnership… Page 4
3. The Student View Data… Page 5
4. The Student Views 2023 and Recommendations… Page 6
5. Beyond the Big 4… Page 9
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Gina Dunn
Students’ Union President
Student feedback provides the University
and Students' Union with the framework to
improve, enhance and shape the
experience of being a student at Cardiff.
Each year, the Students' Union collects
feedback through campaigns such as
Speak Week, where we ask students what
they would keep and change if they ran
the university, and through Student Staff
Panels and College Fora. We then collate
that feedback and submit it to the
University in a document called The Student View.
Last year, we decided to change the way we approach The Student View and in turn, our
approach to partnership. In order to focus our efforts, we submitted four 'mini' Student
Views that home in on specific themes, rather than addressing all aspects of feedback
we collected over the year.
This year we have continued in that way, submitting one in-year Student View in
December, on the Cost of Living, and three more at the end of the year focusing on key
areas that have arisen through data collection throughout the year. Those Student Views
are:
- The Student View on Housing
- The Student View on Estates and Facilities
- The Student View on Assessment and Feedback
We know how important wider feedback is, so in this Student View, we have continued
the inclusion of a ‘Beyond the Big Four’ section, to highlight some other topics that have
come through in our data.
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The Student View 2023: Executive Summary
Reflection on the New Approach
This year has been a transition into a new way of submitting student feedback, with our
first in-year Student View. We submitted the Student View on the Cost of Living in
December, following a rapid increase in inflation, coupled with no increase in student
support from the government. This was sent in addition to a previous paper of measures
sent in August, after we had collected significant data to create a full Student View.
The response to this in-year Student View was an excellent example of partnership.
Members of the University met early this calendar year with Students' Union
representatives to discuss and shape potential solutions, which were implemented
quickly and reviewed as we moved further into the Spring Semester. The process was
made easier, and more implementations were made possible, by a funding grant given to
the University by Higher Education Funding Council Wales. We were extremely pleased to
be involved in the decisions surrounding how this money would be spent, and to receive
some of it to enable us to provide support to our students.
Hopefully next year we will continue this great work and increase our in-year
submissions, to enable us to continue tackling problems as they arise.
Reflection on Partnership
Partnership is an integral part of the relationship between the Students' Union and the
University, more formally, but also between all of our staff and students. By working
together and involving students as co-creators from the beginning, there will likely be
fewer barriers further down the road which will prevent work having to be redone when
students are eventually consulted.
Last year we made the recommendation to move away from Partnership Projects and
stated that partnership should be a continuous effort and students should be engaged
throughout the development of solutions. We believe that despite progress to this goal,
there is still more to be done and partnership could be more embedded within our
structures. In order to do this, we recommend that an additional box should be added to
Cardiff University Committee Coversheets asking what student consultation has
occurred, be it Student Champions, Student Academic Representatives, Sabbatical or
Campaign Officers or just a focus group of students, and the opportunity to outline the
involvement of the Students’ Union in discussion.
It is important that consultation with the Students’ Union is not seen as something which
happens at the committee stage of decision-making, and instead students and the
Students’ Union Officers have the opportunity to feed in and shape new initiatives,
changes and developments with University staff.
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The Student View 2023: Executive Summary
The Data
We decide our themes based on the trending topics we see in the data we collect
throughout the year. One of our biggest feedback campaigns is our Student-Voice led
Speak Week, which asks students ‘If you ran the University, what would you keep?’ and
‘If you ran the University, what would you change?’. This data gives us an idea of what
our students are happy with and areas where they are not.
After the success of last year, we ran two Speak Week campaigns again this year. The
first week ran in the Autumn semester, but coincided with the industrial action in
November, so we ran two extra days of data collection in January. Across the two
occasions, 3,255 Speak Week cards were collected with 5,998 individual comments,
comprising of 2,875 ‘keep’ comments and 3,123 ‘change’ comments. We also ran focus
groups to get more qualitative feedback on the Cost of Living Crisis and the Impact of
Strike Action.
Figure 1 shows our feedback by college, which this year is representative of the size of
each college by percentage.
Our Speak Week data is further complimented this year by data received during our
Housing Research in partnership with Shelter Cymru. The survey received 457 responses
from university students and was open for responses between November and December
2022. This research was supplemented further by 11 interviews conducted by Shelter
Cymru with Cardiff students which aimed at exploring the housing issues faced by
students.
The Student Views also make use of the data and common themes which have arisen
from Student-Staff Panels. Student-Staff Panels are the main point in which our 1,000
Student Academic Representatives are able to feed into University decision-making and
ensure that changes are made as a result of the feedback received from their peers.
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The Student View 2023 and Recommendations
A summary of the recommendations for all four themes can be found below. For more
detail, please see the corresponding Student View section.
The Student View Housing
The Student View on Housing uses the report commissioned by Shelter Cymru to explore
the quality of student housing and accommodation in Cardiff and at Cardiff University.
Recommendation SVH1: The University should adopt a “duty of care”
approach to all students who find themselves homeless due to a lack of
available accommodation.
Recommendation SVH2: The University should work in partnership with other
Cardiff-based academic institutions to understand future growth trends, and
the impact on demand for student accommodation in the city.
Recommendation SVH3: The University should take a more detailed focus on
property condition and customer services being experienced in university
owned halls.
Recommendation SVH4: The University should develop a
communication/education strategy to ensure that new students and first
years leaving university halls are aware of their legal rights.
The Student View on Estates and Facilities
The Student View on Estates and Facilities provides an insight into student feedback on
the University campus and how it can be improved.
Recommendation SVEF1: The university should review their travel provisions.
Recommendation SVEF1a: For Cardiff University to re-engage with
Cardiff Bus to develop a student-pass which would provide discounted
and frequent travel for students.
Recommendation SVEF1b: For the University to improve its current bike
storage facilities and to build and develop additional storage spaces
across the estate.
Recommendation SVEF1c: For the University to develop more studentfriendly
parking options, with both availability, location, and price key
factors in ensuring they are student friendly.
Recommendation SVEF2: Improve the regularity of cleaning across the
University estate with particular focus on toilets and areas where hygiene Is
paramount.
Recommendation SVEF3: The university should provide accessible, free period
products in a gender-neutral location in all buildings across campus.
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Recommendation SVEF4: The university should install more prayer, sensory
and common rooms across campus.
Recommendation SVEF5: The university should continue to review It's sports
facilities and gym offering across the estate ensuring that It remains
affordable and accessible to students.
Recommendation SVEF6: The university should review and improve the
ergonomics of their buildings.
Recommendation SVEF6a: To further the expansion and development of
study spaces across campus, with focus on underutilized spaces in
buildings such as ABACWS and enabling students to book lecture
theatres and small teaching spaces when not in use.
Recommendation SVEF6b: Increase the provisions of kettles and
microwaves across campus and remove any costs associated with hot
water from University catering outlets.
Recommendation SVEF6c: To improve the connectivity across campus
including the availability of working Wi-Fi and plug sockets.
Recommendation SVEF6d: To place signage around campus to inform
students of who they can contact should the room’s climate not be
ideal.
Recommendation 7: The university should undertake a review of its
accessibility.
Recommendation 7a: The university should focus on the access of its
buildings via lifts, ensuring areas with the most footfall have the least
amount of time with lifts out of operation.
Recommendation 7b: Lockers should be installed across the estate and
available to students.
Recommendation 7c: Ensure that all lectures include closed captioning
in their Panopto recordings.
Recommendation 7d: Ensure that plug-sockets and fire doors remain
accessible and useable by disabled students.
The Student View on Assessment and Feedback
The Student View on Assessment and Feedback highlights areas for concern raised by
students and improvements that can be made on our assessment and feedback
processes.
Recommendation SVAF1: The University should develop a tailored
communication plan to address misconceptions of assessment feedback
turnaround.
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Recommendation SVAF2: The University should update the current AFtTS
policy in collaboration with students and staff to ensure it is reflective of the
experiences of the current student demographic and practices in the sector.
Recommendation SVAF3: End assessment bunching by ensuring a minimum
period of three working days between any deadline, or the automatic
approval of extenuating circumstances where this is not possible.
Recommendation SVAF4: Implement improvements to assessment support
and guidance, with an emphasis on help with essay writing, administrative
support for how to submit assessments and integration of assessment
guidance into the curriculum.
Recommendation SVAF5: Increase the availability of online examinations for
students both in the name of comfort and accessibility.
Recommendation SVAF6: Conduct a review into how students’ knowledge and
skills are tested in assessments, with the end goal of creating assessments not
just for assessments’ sake, but also to allow students to show their skills and
hone their subject knowledge.
The Student View on The Cost of Living
The Student View on The Cost of Living provides recommendations as a result of
concerns faced and raised by students.
Recommendation SVCL1: Improve the accessibility of hardship funding.
Recommendation SVCL2: Reduction in laundry costs.
Recommendation SVCL3: Increasing free/reduced food on campus.
Recommendation SVCL4: Run additional finance and budget advice activity.
Recommendation SVCL5: Improve the Extenuating Circumstances Policy.
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Beyond the Big 4
We have included the Beyond the Big 4 section again this year, as we want to continue to
share the wider feedback we collect. This aims to inform the University of common
‘keeps’ and ‘changes’ across different areas of the student experience. Please note that
recommendations previously mentioned in the Student View have been removed to avoid
repetition.
Academic
Experience
Lectures
Theme
Academic
Keep
Change
Keep
Change
Campus and Facilities
Libraries &
University
Buildings
Catering
Provisions
Keep
Change
Keep
Change
Student Support
Keep
Wellbeing
Individual Support
University
Cost of Living
Change
Keep
Change
Action
Academic events run by schools (more please!)
University wide reading week
Payment for placements
Improvement of communication
Earlier release of timetables
Lecture content
Lecture recordings
Good lecturers
Lecture recordings inconsistent
Lectures starting late and time usage
The 24-hour opening times
Friendly staff
More 24-hour spaces
Refurbish the spaces
Good alternative study space
Extend the opening hours
Additional vegan and vegetarian options
More food outlets at the Heath Park campus
Services are valuable
Services are not sufficiently supported for the
number of students that need them
Waiting times are too long
Some services difficult to access
Heath Park students feel they do not have access to
equal support
Employability support
Existing support but provide more of it
Help with transferable skills
Better publicity
greater support for ADHD and dyslexia testing
Simplification of student portals
Price of laundry
Prices too expensive (gym, printers)
More financial support/bursaries
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Students' Union
Keep
Change
Free Period Products
£2 lunches
Feed Your Flat
Could do more
Further to the above, we wanted to dive into some of the other issues that have come up
through our student communities and democratic processes.
Transgender Student Rights
This year, our Student Senate discussed and debated a proposal for a Gender Identity
Fund. The introduction of this fund would help trans students by providing them
emotional and financial support which can also be used towards the purchase of gender
affirming essentials, travel to gender clinics, etc. Other Universities, including Oxford,
Warwick, UCL, Kent, Murray Edward College and Aberystwyth have similar funds available
to their students. Keele recently ran a successful Gender Identity Fund pilot initiative
and, as a result, they are presently setting up a permanent fund, which is a potential
avenue we could pursue.
The University should be committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of trans students
and setting up a gender identity fund would only be a step towards this. We would be
keen to work with the University to ensure that this fund could run successfully at Cardiff
University too.
International Students
International Students make up 20% of students in the UK and in Cardiff. They pay
anywhere from just below double, to nearly four times the amount of home tuition fees for
their education. Despite paying more, they seldom receive any additional support from the
University and the support they do receive is not equitable to home students, with
international students often falling through the gaps. Scholarships and Bursaries are also
limited for international students, making them feel unequal to their home domicile peers.
A/
Y
21
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22
UG-
Hom
e
UG–
Overseas
-
Classroo
m
UG–
Oversea
s-Labs
UG–
Oversea
s-Clinical
9K 17.45K 21.95K 21.95K-
34.45K
PGT-
Hom
e
9.7K-
39.2
K
PGT-
Oversea
s-
mixed
PGT-
Oversea
s-Labs
21.95K 20.79K-
46.2K
PGT-
Oversea
s-Clinical
17.95K
The NUS recognises the plight of International Students, with a policy on International
Students passing at their annual National Conference to campaign to abolish both the 20-
hour working limit and the increased fees that international students face.
The Union urges the University to provide real value for money for international students
that compares to the fees paid by them. This could be in the form of additional support,
better visa support, more personal tutors, cost-of-living support, housing advice etc.
Further, international students should be provided with scholarships and bursaries in
proportion to the fees paid by them.
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Harm Reduction
One key theme we have tried to tackle as a Students' Union this year is our approach to
substance use in the student body, and best practice as to how we deal with it without
demonising students, creating an atmosphere of hostility and driving students away from
seeking help. We have been working with Cardiff and Vale Drug and Alcohol Service
(CAVDAS) to adopt their advised Harm Reduction protocol. This means helping students
positively with disengagement from substances instead of trying to shame or scare them.
As said in a WONKHE article by Sunday Blake, a report published by the Home Office and
the Department of Health and Social Care advocated a need for a support-centred
approach when dealing with drug use. The UUK taskforce also committed its approach to
being firmly based on evidence-led harm reduction." While we as a Students' Union want
to be clear that the safest way to avoid harm from substances is not to use them, we do
understand that many students will not immediately listen to or hear that message.
Therefore, we consider it a high priority to ensure the safety of our students above all
else, so that they can prioritise their education and health.
We completed a trial run of offering reagent testing kits to students, which test
substances to establish if there are dilutants, other substances which can be incredibly
dangerous if taken without prior knowledge. We are planning to work with CAVDAS to
also establish support groups run by students, for students, with support from CAVDAS
so that they never feel overwhelmed by running or partaking in these groups. Finally, we
are looking at our internal strategy of dealing with students under the influence of, or in
possession of, substances going forward. We are hoping that this data-led strategy is
something which the university can work with us on, as we are aware of Cardiff
Metropolitan University's Students' Union working alongside Cardiff Met on a similar
strategy. From the standpoint of the University, we would like to see a review of how it
handles drugs and alcohol going forward, particularly in the disciplinary department and
within university-led accommodation. We would welcome involvement in this review and
look forward to results which reflect the current best practice in the sector and are driven
by care for our students.
Thank You
We would like to thank the University for joining us as we transition to this new vision of
partnership and for working with us throughout the year to create a student experience
we can all be proud of.
We would also like to give additional recognition to the work that went into developing
support for students during the ongoing Cost-Of-Living crisis.
Over the next year, we hope the recommendations in this year’s Student Views will
continue to be implemented in the same partnership we have seen so far.
Gina Dunn
Students’ Union President | Llywydd Yr Undeb Myfyrwyr 2022/2023
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