A message from the Director of Studies, February 2010

I wanted to update you on some of the things that we’ve been working on in order to enhance aspects of our teaching and learning. Many of these initiatives stem from your feedback and comments:

  • Faster feedback: We now provide provisional grades and comments on most assessed coursework within 3 term-time weeks.
  • IGS/PES feedback: We’re also trialling earlier feedback – provisional grades and comments – on the IGS/PES. This will be available to 3rd year students via a one-to-one meeting with their tutor in the week immediately following Reading Week.
  • Improving the quality of feedback: We are working with colleagues from the College’s Thinking Writing team to look at ways of improving the quality of feedback. This includes consultation with students, looking at examples of best practice and holding a staff ‘awayday’ on the topic.
  • Access to module reports: At the end of every academic year, module convenors have to write a report on their module. This considers how well the module ran; reviews patterns of student performance; reflects on student evaluation of the module; and outlines proposed changes for future years. We now publish these reports to students on Blackboard (see ‘GEG - Teaching and Learning - 2009 - 10’ under the ‘Course List’ on your Blackboard homepage).
  • Library Resources: We’re continuing to make substantial investments to maintain and enhance our library collections: £48,000 for the academic year 2009–2010.

One very important event for the Department this spring is Internal Review. This is a College-led evaluation of our systems and procedures for managing, maintaining and enhancing academic quality and standards of teaching and learning. Reviews take place every 5–7 years; our last one was in 2003. All current students should have been contacted by College asking them to complete a survey which forms part of the Review. If you have not already done so, you can respond to the survey via: www.surveymonkey.com/s/2PF35KT

A further group of students – representing the range of degree programmes and academic levels – will be invited to meet with the review panel when the Internal Review takes place on 5th March 2010. I shall write to you again about the outcome of the Review later in the Spring.

If you have any questions about Internal Review or any views or suggestions in relation to any aspect of the Department’s teaching and learning, I’d like to hear about them. Please email me via a.j.owens@qmul.ac.uk or pass on your comments to your staff–student liaison committee representative.

 
Alastair Owens, Director of Studies, February 2010