#LSEeducation

[lseeducation]

'Course Collection' Space and Beanbags!

This summer I’ve been working with the library on some projects which relate to my priorities for the year and which will help to benefit all LSE students who use the library.

Primarily, we've been working together on student space. Space is, and will continue to be, a key issue for LSE students. Increasing numbers of students, as well as a short term decrease in available space due to the campus redevelopment, means that securing enough space for students will be something for which we will have to fight during the next 5 years at least. The LSE library, which can be accessed by students from other universities too, can be extremely busy, even (and especially) during the summer term when priority is given to LSE students over students from other universities. So expanding and improving student space in the library and beyond was a key part of my election manifesto and will continue to be a priority in my year as Education Officer.

In order to address this issue, myself and the library have been working to provide some LSE-students-only study space in what used to be the course collection area; a large part of which was previously used to store texts which either haven’t been taken out in years or are now available online. The space to be used is huge and students should be able to study in that space from next week!

  The other way I've worked with the library to improve space around LSE is by ensuring that the SU inherits some library beanbags for the Saw Swee Hock student centre! They’re now placed around the second and third floor of the building so we’ve got some places to relax (and possibly nap) in our Union building.

There are two other changes in the way the library will be doing things this year. First, the library will no longer be issuing fines! Instead students will not be able to take out any further books until they return or renew due books. This policy will be piloted in the first term of this year and then reviewed (I’ll blog details of the review nearer the time).

Secondly, during October the library will be prioritising LSE students joining the library, meaning that new non-LSE students will not have their applications to join the library approved until the 5th of November.

I think that these changes will help improve LSE students' experience of the library. However while these steps are positive and the library has been great at listening and responding to student concerns, more needs to be done. And getting more done for students is my job, so I better get on with it!

[lseeducation]

Fresher’s Education FAQs:

How do I register? Come to LSE with your offer letter, any outstanding admissions documents and a photo ID which confirms your nationality (usually passport although alternatives are available). If you are an international student you also have to bring evidence of your entitlement to study. On the 2nd of October (if you're an undergrad) come to the Hong-Kong Theatre in Clement House at the time assigned to your course (postgrads).

  How do I choose my courses and when can I see my timetable?

You can choose your course via LSE for you. If you choose your courses before coming to LSE you’ll get your personalised timetable on the 3rd of October, it generally takes around 3 – 4 days after you’ve confirmed your course choices to get your personalised timetable. If you want to leave choosing your courses until after the start of term (6th) (the deadline for choosing your courses is the 31st of October) then you can check the times of lectures and classes in the general timetable.

  How do I find out information about my courses?

For a basic outline of the content of specific courses, as well as the methods of teaching, assessment and number of contact hours see here. To find out the weekly topics of your course and reading lists enrol in your courses on Moodle. You’ll get a more detailed introduction to each course in your first lecture, so don’t worry about this too much!

  How can I meet my fellow freshers?

Obviously you can come to the SU’s freshers’ events (this page will be updated as more details get confirmed) which start next week. You can also join the freshers/halls/subject groups on Facebook. When you come to LSE you’ll have to chance to join societies and sport teams which are a great way to meet people. In terms of meeting your coursemates, as well as seeing them in lectures and classes, you might have a group meeting with your academic advisor in the first week of term. Departments may also have their own social events where you can chat with your lecturers and teachers as well as your fellow freshers.

  How are my courses taught?

Courses’ teaching generally consist of lectures and classes. Lectures frame the debates in the area you’re studying and outline the subject matter, they last one to two hours and can contain between 12 and 800 students! In classes you might go through problem sets, follow up on issues from the lecture and debate; classes are generally more focused on discussion than lectures.

Class sizes are currently capped at 17 students, although some modules have exemptions from this cap. In addition to this contact time, you can go and see your teachers/lecturers in their office hours which allow for one-on-one discussions between yourself and an academic in your subject area. These office hours allow you to clarify things you didn’t understand, get feedback on work and/or develop an original argument or line of thought.

  (Undergraduate) Does my first year contribute to my final grade? Yes but only a little bit! The average mark of your three best first year courses counts towards your final degree classification as much as each of your courses in second and third year. (So it determines one ninth of your final classification). You can find more information about degree classification here, but my advice is don’t stress too much about your grades in first year, you only really need to pass; it’s more important to discover what area of your subject you’re most interested in and settle into university life and learning.

  If you have more questions then ask either in comments below, via Facebook (www.facebook.com/tom.educationofficer), twitter (@tommaksymiw) or email (su.education@lse.ac.uk). Enjoy freshers and see you there!

Tom

[lseeducation]

Your Education Officer, Rosie Coleman, reflects back on the last 12 months, the things she's achieved and what she's most proud of.

[lseeducation]

LSE's written a lovely summary of LSESU's teaching awards 2014. Check it out! 

[lseeducation]

WINNERS - LSE Student Led Teaching Excellence Awards

With 993 individual submissions and over 450 members of staff nominated – competition was steep in this year's Student Led Teaching Excellence Awards!

Here's the list of winners and highly commended nominees.

For full details of the winners and the Teaching Awards Project click here.

_________________________________________________________

Winner: Martin Anthony (Maths Professor)

“His enthusiastic way of teaching is incredibly popular amongst students”

“He should be recognized for making algebra so enjoyable!”

“The best Maths teacher I’ve had both at my home university in the US and here at LSE”

Highly Commended: Renuka Fernando (Accounting GTA)

Highly Commended: Lourdes Hernandez-Martin (Language Centre Assistant Language Coordinator)

_________________________________________________________

Winner: Alexandru Marcoci - (Philosophy GTA)

"Alex has been really helpful for the writing of that paper and more generally for deepening my desire to study for a PhD and work in the academic world"

Highly Commended: Clare Hemmings (Gender Institute Professor)

Highly Commended: Nigel Dodd (Sociology Professor)

_________________________________________________________

Winner: Nick Long (Anthropology Professor)

"Exciting and captivating dissemination of topic knowledge every week"

"Powerpoints are a wealth of understandable theory and case studies with vivid imagery to render the cases lively and graspable"

Highly Commended: Frederik Laker (International Relations GTA)

Highly Commended: Nicola Limodio (Economics GTA)

_________________________________________________________

Winner: Rosie Coffey (International History GTA)

"Since joining LSE, Rosie has been the best teacher I have encountered"

"Feedback provided by Rosalind has helped all of us to improve our work"

"Rosie goes out of her way to ensure that we are fully prepared for class each week"

Highly Commended: Diana Popescu (Government GTA)

Highly Commended: Stephan Maurer (Economics GTA)

_________________________________________________________

Winner: Antoine Paccoud (Geography Fellow)

"Antoine is the most inspiring teacher I have ever had"

"His passion for his subject has helped to drive my own"

"I would like to thank Antoine for everything he has done for me and others"

Highly Commended: Alice Evans (Geography Fellow)

Highly Commended: Hakan Seckinelgin (Social Policy Professor)

_________________________________________________________

Winner: Alicia Mejia (Management Teacher)

"Alicia made me feel I could accomplish anything"

"The most amazing person I have met at LSE and in my life so far"

Highly Commended: Sue Haines (Disabilities Office Service Manager)

Highly Commended: Richard Perkins (Geography Professor)

_________________________________________________________

Winner: Devika Hovell (Law Professor)

"She is by far the best teacher we have ever had - she is an inspiration to us all"

"Devika inspired me to take further law courses and re-qualify as a lawyer"

"Everyone has heard of Devika, even outside the department!"

Highly Commended: Helena Ivins (Economic History Administrator)

Highly Commended: Matthew Whiting (Government GTA)

_________________________________________________________

Winner: Ulrike Theuekauf (Government Fellow)

"I feel very privileged to have had Ulrike as my Teacher"

"She is an amazing teacher who goes above and beyond to help all her students"

"Uli truly cares about her students"

_________________________________________________________

Congratulations to all and thanks to every student who nominated!

[lseeducation]

Full Details: LSE Student Led Teaching Excellence Awards !!!

Every year the LSE Students’ Union runs the LSE Teaching Awards. Following our re-affirmed commitment to a student-led Awards and a successful funding bid from NUS – a number of major changes to the project were made. Students have been involved at every stage; from the introduction of award categories for the first time ever, to setting the criteria and judging the winners.

Up until now LSE Awards have been reserved for professors, lecturers and class-teachers. Yet our students felt that this limited understanding of ‘teaching’ has excluded many staff members who offer crucial guidance and teaching services and who play a major role in shaping the learning experiences of LSE students. The new award categories were chosen therefore to maximize the inclusion of all types of staff and their different teaching roles; from class-leader to PhD supervisor, Academic Advisor, language teacher and departmental administrators (to name but a few!).

It also became clear that the vital work done across the institution in offering Pastoral Support and Professional Mentoring should be acknowledged. The introduction of the LSESU Award for Excellent Welfare and Pastoral Support and the LSESU Award for Professional Mentoring and Personal Development were very important additions to this year’s Awards and the heart-felt words submitted by students show the life-changing impact these two roles can have when done exceptionally well.

Students were free to individually nominate any member of staff and did not require signatories to their submission as in previous years. As a result, we have had much higher engagement from students across the school and far more personal comments submitted in support of staff. We are delighted with the overwhelming response this year. With 993 individual submissions and over 450 members of staff nominated – competition was steep!

__________________________________________________________

Winner: Martin Anthony (Maths Professor)

“His enthusiastic way of teaching is incredibly popular amongst students”

“He should be recognized for making algebra so enjoyable!”

“The best Maths teacher I’ve had both at my home university in the US and here at LSE”

Martin has been awarded this Teaching Prize because students wanted to thank Martin for his enthusiasm, generosity and compassionate approach to teaching complex mathematical concepts. Not only is Martin incredibly knowledgeable, nominations pointed to his ability to share this expertise using clear lectures, excellent additional resources, and a patient and coherent communication technique. Students appreciate his positive attitude to teaching, creating a safe and open classroom environment where no question is too small or silly to ask. Furthermore, many students referenced Martin’s skill at making mathematics relevant to the real world, giving background motivation for topics and taking time to approach problems from multiple different angles.

Highly Commended: Renuka Fernando (Accounting GTA)

Highly Commended: Lourdes Hernandez-Martin (Language Centre Assistant Language Coordinator)

_________________________________________________________

Winner: Alexandru Marcoci - (Philosophy GTA)

"Alex has been really helpful for the writing of that paper and more generally for deepening my desire to study for a PhD and work in the academic world"

Alexandru’s commitment to teaching extends above and beyond the expected duty of the GTA role. Identifying talent in his masters’ students, he has worked closely with students to shape and inspire a new generation of academics. After spending an enormous amount of time giving feedback on formative essays, Alexandru has recognized his students as academic partners and fine-tuned their research skills. He has made sure that other members of the department are aware of the progress of his students to ensure a consistent level of support is offered. One student highlighted Alexandru’s crucial role in encouraging them to submit an academic paper for presentation at a conference in Germany, while others thanked him for showing so much respect to the academic prowess of those he teaches

Highly Commended: Clare Hemmings (Gender Institute Professor)

Highly Commended: Nigel Dodd (Sociology Professor)

__________________________________________________________

Winner: Nick Long (Anthropology Professor)

"Exciting and captivating dissemination of topic knowledge every week"

"Powerpoints are a wealth of understandable theory and case studies with vivid imagery to render the cases lively and graspable"

Students identified Nicholas’s use of innovative teaching methods as key to their enjoyment and successes in his courses. At the start of each lecture Nicholas plays a song relating to the topic of the week (even lugging in his own speakers every week!) grabbing students’ attention right from the beginning. Nicholas seamlessly weaves his personal research into the course content. His Powerpoints packed with vivid imagery and short videos were also praised. Nicholas uploaded a playlist of songs from the Southeast Asian region as a Moodle revision de-stress tool. To top it off, students detailed Nicholas’s commitment to the learning of all his students: one week when the ECHO system was not working Nicholas booked a lecture room and recorded the lecture again to an empty classroom just so that students who were unable to attend could watch online.

Highly Commended: Frederik Laker (International Relations GTA)

Highly Commended: Nicola Limodio (Economics GTA)

__________________________________________________________

Winner: Rosie Coffey (International History GTA)

"Since joining LSE, Rosie has been the best teacher I have encountered"

"Feedback provided by Rosalind has helped all of us to improve our work"

"Rosie goes out of her way to ensure that we are fully prepared for class each week"

The breadth and depth of support provided by Rosalind is truly exceptional. Feedback is provided quickly and in great detail following every formative submission: all comments are delivered in 1-2-1 meetings and Rosalind makes full use of students’ Moodle registers. Rosalind’s commitment to excellent feedback is not just limited to marking: feedback with Rosalind is an on-going process. She is extremely approachable and communicates students’ strengths and development areas through personal interactions, group work and responsive emails ensuring concerns are addressed quickly. She clearly communicates the themes of the course and the aims of each week enabling students to read with focus and efficiency. Rosalind often provides hand-outs with key events or themes, and when HY113 books are in short supply, Rosalind takes the time to email a scanned copy of the required pages so that all students can be fully prepared for class each week.

Highly Commended: Diana Popescu (Government GTA)

Highly Commended: Stephan Maurer (Economics GTA)

__________________________________________________________

Winner: Antoine Paccoud (Geography Fellow)

"Antoine is the most inspiring teacher I have ever had"

"His passion for his subject has helped to drive my own"

"I would like to thank Antoine for everything he has done for me and others"

Antoine received by far the most individual nominations of any member of LSE staff nominated. Students submitted more than 3000 words collectively in his support. He is acknowledged for his excellence as a lecturer, teacher and academic advisor and thanked for his dedication to students across a range of teaching functions; from excellent feedback provision to welfare support and professional mentoring. Students have immense respect for Antoine’s intelligence and amazement at his ability to rephrase, re-contextualise and reimagine age-old theories to make them accessible for every student. He gives an immense amount of personal attention to each student, ensuring everyone is confident with the content and their studies more generally. His door is quite literally always open. Antoine is incredibly charismatic, friendly and approachable and these aspects of his personality really shine during his classes and have inspired a huge number of students at the LSE this year.

Highly Commended: Alice Evans (Geography Fellow)

Highly Commended: Hakan Seckinelgin (Social Policy Professor)

__________________________________________________________

Winner: Alicia Mejia (Management Teacher)

"Alicia made me feel I could accomplish anything"

"The most amazing person I have met at LSE and in my life so far"

Many students at LSE will resonate with the experiences of those Alicia has supported. LSE is a challenging place to study, academically and socially and many students look to their class teachers for pastoral support. Alicia expertly offers pastoral support within an academic context , giving hands-on advice to students on how to achieve academically and, how to remain confident despite setbacks or a competitive atmosphere. Alicia is thanked for her willingness to advice students in a personal setting, always having time to chat over coffee, reply to emails and offer kind and constructive advice. Students appreciated how Alicia was as keen to know about their lives as they were to ask questions about hers.

Highly Commended: Sue Haines (Disabilities Office Service Manager)

Highly Commended: Richard Perkins (Geography Professor)

__________________________________________________________

Winner: Devika Hovell (Law Professor)

"She is by far the best teacher we have ever had - she is an inspiration to us all"

"Devika inspired me to take further law courses and re-qualify as a lawyer"

"Everyone has heard of Devika, even outside the department!"

Devika masterfully combines academic rigour with professional mentoring, going above and beyond to make her course content relevant to the wider world and incorporating practical skill training into her classes. Her slides are always thought provoking and have proven a useful springboard for revision and job applications. Devika frequently invites guests to speak to students, judge mooting competitions or discuss their practice areas after a seminar. Devika has inspired many students to pursue law careers and sharpened the interests of those who had already decided on this path.

Highly Commended: Helena Ivins (Economic History Administrator)

Highly Commended: Matthew Whiting (Government GTA)

__________________________________________________________

Winner: Ulrike Theuekauf (Government Fellow)

"I feel very privileged to have had Ulrike as my Teacher"

"She is an amazing teacher who goes above and beyond to help all her students"

"Uli truly cares about her students"

Year after year, students tell LSESU how phenomenal Ulrike’s teaching is. This year she received one of the highest number of nominations, and has been commended for her high quality feedback, her inspirational teaching style, and the amount of personal attention she showers on each and every student. She is always on hand to help, and takes time to ensure everyone understands the course content. Passionate, patient and infectiously enthusiastic, she is truly a credit to the LSE.

__________________________________________________________

Congratulations to all and thanks to every student who nominated!

[lseeducation]

Summer of Student Innovation - What Students Really Want – £5k Funding to Improve Student Life

JISC are the UK's expert on digital technologies for education and research, with a strong belief that students should have a prime role in developing novel uses of technology to improve their experience at college or university.

Last year they ran a competition – the Summer of Student Innovation - designed with RLUK, RUGIT, SCONUL and UCISA as part of a co-design approach to innovation within UK education.

21 projects were successfully funded and supported to develop their ideas. We continue to work with six projects to help develop them and explore the possibility of offering them as a shared service for the whole sector.

The Summer of Student Innovation 2014 competition is running again this year and £5000 is available for each successful student idea. Students have until the end of May to submit their entries and with our help attract votes.

If you have any questions, please visit our FAQs page or email us. You can also follow #studentideas on Twitter for the latest about the competition.

[lseeducation]

Statement from LSESU on UCU’s proposed marking boycott

LSE Students' Union believes that lectures and university staff should be paid and remunerated in a fair way that maintains people’s living standards in line with inflation. This is especially important for LSE staff whom live and work in the capital city and so face a significantly higher cost of living. We do not believe that a 13% pay cut in real terms is a fair or acceptable way to treat a work force and we urge university leaders, vice chancellors and the UCEA to take meaningful and immediate action to bring the current dispute to an end.

Paying staff fair and adequate wages is an intrinsic element of providing students with the highest quality of education and maintaining excellence in research and innovation at our universities. The higher education sector in the UK is world leading and a vital component of the social and economic development of the UK. Staff who work to keep it world leading deserve to be paid adequately and should be recognised for the contribution that they provide.

Currently students are graduating into an unprecedentedly tough economic climate and employment market. Placing more barriers in the way of them accessing employment only seeks to damage their chances further and is especially unjust given that the marketization of our higher education system has left students paying in excess of £9000 a year to gain a degree.

We urge all sides of this dispute to take action to prevent this boycott from happening. If a resolution cannot be negotiated then we urge union leaders to undertake industrial action that will have minimal impact on students during this crucial time of the academic year.

  LSESU Sabbatical Officers

[lseeducation]

Exam Timetable Delay - Information

Many of you will have noticed or been made aware that the provisional examination timetable has not been published today as planned. This isn't good enough and the SU is working to find out more information and hurry up the process!

I have spoken to the Examination Office and they have informed me of the following:

The Registrar has experienced technical difficulties

They are working extremely hard to resolve these issues today

Students should check regularly the LSE website's examination page for updates. A statement has been posted here.

It is hoped, and expected, that the provisional timetable will be online by WEDNESDAY 26th.

They are sorry for any inconvenience

For any further problems or questions contact examinations@lse.ac.uk or call 020 7955 7770. Alternatively email me at su.education@lse.ac.uk and I will do my best to advise.

[lseeducation]

Nominate Excellent Teachers NOW - LSESU Teaching Awards

This week see’s the launch of the 2014 Teaching Excellence Awards! The awards have been revamped this year, making it easier than ever before to nominate someone that has made a difference to you at LSE. Nominations are open until 2nd May, so make sure you recognise someone excellent while you can! Click here to nominate - http://www.lsesu.com/yourunion/teachingawards/

Who can I nominate? Provided the person you nominate is an employed staff member at the LSE, you can nominate them. This year sees the introduction of categories to reflect the variety of types of teaching LSE student’s experience. With the help of SSLC reps, we have designed these categories to include teaching that spans all the way from excellent feedback and 1-2-1 discussions to amazing lectures and seminars (to name a few!). Don’t hold back – If someone is excellent, let us (and them) know

Do I need other students to support my nomination? No. In the past you would have needed to find other students to support your nomination, however this year every student can nominate as many people, in as many categories, as they like. We wanted to make sure that smaller departments and staff with fewer student interactions had just as much chance to win. It’s the quality of your nomination and the reasons you give that will make the difference!

What if my nominees don’t win? Although it’s fantastic to win an award, not everyone can. This doesn’t mean your nominations will be meaningless. We are fully committed to letting all good nominees know that they were nominated by a student (anonymously, of course). We will be using the information you give us to let excellent educators at LSE know that they are appreciated and valued by students and in what areas their strengths lie. Just one nomination from you can make someone’s teaching year worthwhile.

What do the different categories mean?

1. Award for Inspirational Teaching: This award is for someone who is really charismatic, drives you to learn more, challenges your perceptions and encourages you to apply your knowledge to the wider world.

2. Award for Sharing Expertise and Knowledge: Someone who demonstrates a broad knowledge and variety in their teaching, facilitates engaging debates and dialogue and takes time to ensure you understand.

3. Award for Excellent Feedback and Communication: Someone who is approachable, responsive, provides excellent feedback and is willing to use innovative communication to help you develop and understand.

4. Award for Collaborative Research and Guidance: Someone who is personally invested in your education, recognises your value as an academic equal and provides you with fantastic guidance.

5. Award for Innovative Teaching: Someone who goes beyond the traditional model of teaching, providing exciting perspectives and cutting edge research to your learning and can enhance your learning with technology.

What are the LSESU Welfare, support and development awards? These are additional two categories awarded by the Students’ Union for people who excel in the ‘extra-curricular’ side of your education. 6. LSESU Award for Excellent Welfare and Pastoral Support: Someone who cares about your personal welfare, is a constant point of support and has been able to signpost you to appropriate support services. 7. LSESU Award for Professional Mentoring and Personal Development: Someone who has added value beyond the traditional academic reach, helping you to develop professionally and helping you to add value to your skill set.

Can I nominate someone in more than one category? Absolutely – As long as they meet the criteria of the category specified, you can nominate them in as many as you like. After all, if they’re outstanding, they may excel in many ways.

Can I nominate multiple people? You can submit more than one nomination. If you’ve had multiple excellent teachers and supporters then please feel free to recognise all of them and nominate them for awards. Each new nominee will require a new submission form to completed.

If you have any questions about the awards or the process please contact me at su.education@lse.ac.uk or Nicky at n.k.pavitt@lse.ac.uk

[lseeducation]

Some of you may have noticed that's a large number of pcs have been removed from the LG library. Here is a statement from the library regarding their return "The work to clear the space for the Women’s Library opening event has started today due to the amount of work that needs to be completed in time for the event on Wednesday. Work will begin to restore the PC spaces first thing on Thursday morning and these will be back by Monday 17 March. In the meantime there are i-roam laptops that LSE students can borrow from the Course Collection, and use anywhere in the Library. From 10am on Wednesday 12 March until 11.30pm on Sunday 16 March there will be additional study space for LSE students in room 301 on the third floor of the Library. IT facilities are available across the campus and details of these spaces can be found at http://www.lse.ac.uk/intranet/LSEServices/LSEFacilitiesGuide/PDFs/IT-Facilities-chart.pdf In addition to these there are new open access PCs in the Saw Swee Hock building internet café. As Rosie is aware, the Library is working hard to secure more space for study within the Library building, particularly spaces with access control for LSE only. The opening of the Women’s Library Reading Room on floor 4 is an important first step, and I hope will demonstrate the quality of new spaces that could be created in the Library" Email me at su.education@lse.ac.uk or contact the library directly for further advice

[lseeducation]

Thinking of standing in the upcoming @lsesu elections? Interested in being the SU Education Officer 2014-15? Come along to one of our info sessions. Email L.A.Burley@lse.ac.uk for more information!

Want to argue with academics on a day to day basis? Want to fall asleep at night dreaming about class sizes, library computers, or examination pass rates? Want to have no friends left because you’ve bored them to death with the fine details of LSE education policy?

Then Education Officer is for you :)

Feel free to send me an email (su.education@lse.ac.uk) if you have any questions about the role, all the perks, or how to run and WIN in elections!

[lseeducation]

Summary of some of @LSESU's activity this year so far! Amazing team of students and staff.

Check out this video for more detailed successes from your Sabbatical team: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFDpvi-37eY 

[lseeducation]

Hey look! This is @LSESU's record breaking year so far!  Check out just some of the things we've been up to!

[lseeducation]

Minutes from the first ever Course Rep Congress

Last Thursday LSESU had the first ever Course Rep Congress. 65 Reps, from almost every department were welcomed to the Saw Swee Hock Building, ate pizza, drank wine and dissected the Academic Board agenda. We also discussed the LSESU upcoming Teaching Awards!

Here are the minutes.

Teaching Awards

Reps want class sizes to be considered and how this will impact on who is nominated.

Reps voted in support of nominating staff under dual or multiple categories over one category.

Reps suggested that might be redundant for students to nominate their teachers under all five categories and should be able to select which are appropriate.

Reps suggested that physical awards should be relevant to LSE students and reflective of the ethos of the organisation.

A rep suggested that winners could be given the option to give their monetary prize to a nominated charity.  Others felt that pressure should not be applied to staff with regards to what they do with their prize money.

Reps suggested that the awards ceremony should be moved to the end of the year to avoid pressure on teaching and GTA’s.

Reps suggested widely publishing the winners of awards so that students know what the outcomes of their nominations were.

Teaching Task Force Two

A number of different reps wanted a breakdown of the report and data. SU to send out to students.

One rep asked if the argument for larger class sizes financial.

One rep ask if the SU had surveyed teachers in the same way they we surveyed students.

Reps suggested that data which demonstrated the opinions of academics on class sizes would also help to show which departments supported TTF2 and which were against it.

One rep argued that making academics teach large groups could detract from their research and as a result LSE will slip in the research score rankings.

Reps were concerned that by increasing student numbers and not hiring new staff to compensate, the school is forcing departments to make their class sizes bigger.

Some reps raised the point that they were angry at LSE investing in new buildings such as 44 LIF whilst trips are being cut and potentially teaching to student ratios are increasing.

Another rep suggested that we should mobilise GTAs to support our case at academic board.

One rep asked if there was a way for us to change the voting system in the academic board so that voices of smaller departments count.

The Research Students’ Officer encouraged reps to discuss these issues with their academics and GTAs.

There was a discussion about the best teaching structures adopted by departments that would ensure students are receiving a high volume of good quality contact time.

Other reps suggested that big name academics may deliver great lectures but may not have the right skills to lead a seminar in a meaningful way. 

Some reps suggested that what was more important than the volume of contact time was that students get exam feedback.

Reps would like the Education Officer, Rosie, to continue support them with reports and data.

Rep were really supportive of SU running more events for them. The SU will endeavour to organise a social event this term and make the course rep congress a termly occurrence.