STAFF STUDENT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE

Meeting on Monday 18^th February 2008 at 1pm in Room 1.20 Malet Place Engineering Building

Staff Present

Graham Roberts (Departmental Tutor, Departmental Equal Opportunities Liaison Officer, Director of Studies, Chair), Chris Neil (Undergraduate Administrator), Neil Daeche (Head of Internal Infrastructure), Nicola Jarvis (Departmental Administrator, Academic Policy and Operations), Denis Timm (Head of Technical Support Group),JJ Giwa (Departmental Administrator, Facilities Management and Operations),Patricia Fenoy (Departmental Office Administrator).

Student Representatives Present

Casey Fitzpatrick (MSc Computer Science Rep), Sam Hassanyeh (4th Year Undergraduate Rep), Richard Halliwell (4th Year UG Rep), Jemini Makwana (MSc SSE Rep), Richard Jenkin (1st Year UG Rep), Joanna Tong (1st Year UG Rep),Ateen Patel (MSc VIVE Rep), Ali Khan (3rd Year UG Rep), Francisco Lopez-Verdone (2nd Year UG Rep), Uloaku Ojiaku (MSc DCNDS Rep), Michelle Pack (MSc SSE Rep), Laleh Zangeneh (Graduate Research Student Rep), Alex Gillis (2nd Year Rep).

1   Apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Robin Hirsch (Conversion Programmes Co-ordinator) and Oisin Mac Aodha (MSc IS Rep). 

2   Notification of any other business.

Water in the Student Common Room – Ali Khan

Availability of Printed Lecture Notes - Ali Khan

3   Approval of minutes of the last meeting (26th November 2007) - Minutes should be signed by chair and at least one student representative.

The minutes from the previous meeting were approved.  The Chair signed the minutes of the last meeting and asked representatives who have read them to sign them as well. 

4   Matters arising from last minutes:

4.1 CS software on IS machines (Reps)

One of the Student Reps checked with the IS helpdesk who advised that it is possible to install further software on IS machines and that there is specific paperwork to be completed to apply for this.  Examples of software that Reps would like access to include; Visual Studio 2005 and the plug-ins for MATLAB. 

The Chair noted that students can access this software remotely via the WTS gateway and that although it may take a while to set up, once it is configured it is easy to use. 

4.2 Clock batteries (JJ)

It was reported that Central Room Bookings were notified of the problem directly after the previous meeting and that they were, at that time, in the process of changing the clocks/batteries.  However, Student Reps have recently noticed that the clocks in some lecture theatres in the building are still not working.  The Chair reminded Reps to report such things to JJ when they notice them so that she can ask for them to be replaced.  

5   Silent Study Room Moving to 4th Floor (Graham Roberts)

The Chair reminded Reps that the Silent Study Room is to be moved to the 4^th Floor and that this move is expected to happen within the next few weeks.  The Chair also noted that there had not been any feedback, positive or negative, from any students about the move and asked the Reps what they thought about the issue.  They responded that they though it was good idea to have the room on the 4^th Floor closer to other facilities. 

6   National Student Survey (Nicola Jarvis)

Student Reps were reminded of an email that was sent to students previously regarding the National Student Survey and encouraged to complete the survey where possible.  It was noted that the results of the survey are widely received online and prospective students do look at the feedback that current students give about their experiences when choosing where to study. 

7   Advanced MSc and 4th year exams moving from March to May from 2010 (Graham Roberts)

The Chair informed the committee of the need to change the structure of the Advanced MSc and 4^th year courses from a ‘short-fat’ configuration to a more standardised structure and that these changes would impact on the timing of the exams for these courses.  It was also noted that this would enable the courses to conform to the new centralised timetable more easily.  The proposed changes are not due to take affect until 2010 and so would not affect current 4^th year students or those currently in the third year of a four year course.  However it would mean that in future years the 4^th year students would have similar project deadlines to those of students in the 3^rd year and that the project weightings would be reduced to reflect the reduction of hours.  The Student Reps responded that this is a good arrangement as it would reduce the current pressure put on Advanced MSc/4^th year Students during the exam period and encourage students to spread their project workloads out more evenly.  The Chair also notified the Reps that all students who will be affected by the change will need to respond to an email, (to be sent in the near future), indicating that they are aware and consent to the intended change. 

8   Microwave oven for student common room (Uloaku Ojiaku)

Student Reps have received some requests for a microwave oven to be installed in the student common room.  However, JJ responded that this is not possible due to health and safety concerns as well as issues relating to the management and control of the appliance.  It was mentioned that there are other student facilities nearby that are able to provide hot food and that the students are not expected to bring food into the student common room in any case. 

9   Any Other Business.

Water in the Student Common Room -

The Reps reported that the water bottles in the common room had run out of water and had not been replaced.  JJ informed the Reps that there had been a delay recently caused due to the suppliers attempting to deliver to the wrong address, but that this had now been resolved.  It was noted that the standard delivery time of a new water bottle is 4 days and that the deposit payment per bottle is too much to consider ordering in bulk, so students need to notify the Departmental Office before the bottle is empty if they want the replacement to arrive in good time.  The Reps suggested that a sign be put up near the water dispenser to remind students to notify the office. 

Availability of Printed Lecture Notes -

The Student Reps reported that some lecturers do not print their lecture notes and that it is costly for students to print their own copies to follow during the lectures.  The Chair responded that there is no departmental policy on printing copies of notes prior to the lecture and that some lecturers prefer to give them out afterwards in an effort to encourage attendance. 

Lecturers are increasingly using Moodle to make their lecture notes available online allowing students to access the lecture notes either beforehand or during the lecture.  It was noted that there is currently a shift towards using online resources rather than books and that the need for printed notes is decreasing. 

The Reps reported that they all use still use printed notes to some extent and that it varies from module to module which method is preferred. 

ACTION – This issue is to be raised at the next Teaching Committee Meeting

10   The next meeting is due in November 2008. In June 2008 there will be end of year wrap-up sessions for each undergraduate year, providing a forum similar to that of the SSCC.