Lecture Recording Policy:This past year has shown just how beneficial lecture recordings can be. They provide a safety net so students don’t fall behind and ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to learn during the module. This policy is set to be reversed which would be a massive detriment. Staff have been taught how to use Panopto and upload lectures, it’s no longer a issue of know-how. I plan on working with University management and individual departments to encourage the continued recording of lecture material. Recorded lectures benefit all students and placing a restriction on who can access them leaves so many behind.
Paid Placement: Placement within degree streams has great potential for experience and job prospects but often ends up being simply unpaid labour. Not being paid for your work is seriously demoralising right before entering that industry. The lifting of the ban on pharmacy placement pay had a positive impact on students. I’d hope to address similar issues within the PME course and work towards providing every student an opportunity to do work placement or summer internships as part of their degree.
Library Facilities: The library increasing opening hours is fantastic but it’s important that similar facilities are made available for students on satellite campuses or unable to commute. Increasing the hours of Brookfield Library and promoting online services such as OneSearch and the Library Catalogue is a priority
PhD Work Rights: PhD students are currently left in a precarious position where most stipends provided by the Irish Research Council (IRC) or Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) don’t cover living costs. In fact, they often work out under minimum wage. Students who are dedicating a portion of their life to progressing human knowledge shouldn’t be left out in the dark like this. I’d hope to work with the Postgrad Representative to create a Postgrad Workers Right Group at UCC and link up with similar groups across the country to fight for adequate pay.
Canvas: It’s unreasonable that students are still faced with timetable issues and a lack of consistency with the delivery of content through Canvas. I’ve been working with the UCC Digital Education Officer for the last year on a Digital Teaching & Learning program. The goal is to train staff based on the experiences given by students in the 2020 SU Feedback Report. I’m a firm believer that supporting staff to support students is a great way to ensure consistency across modules.
Departmental Communication: It’s common for students to deal with multiple departments throughout their degree and experience a complete lack of communication between them for assignment deadlines and mid-term tests etc. IT allowing, I’d like to see a central reporting system so staff can be aware of what weeks are common hotspots for assignments to balance the workload throughout the semester.
I will work towards: