How you've made a difference to Warwick

The roll out of the Warwick Award is a result of your feedback. The Award is an opportunity for you to build and showcase the skills you have developed at Warwick, ready for life after graduation.

The University’s student wellbeing strategy group utilise NSS feedback, where it has been particularly helpful in understanding how we can continue to improve accessibility and support students needing reasonable adjustments.

You said: you wanted more community-building

We did: started weekly wellbeing sessions in the common room with food. We also implemented vertical tutoring for improved student support, where students from different year groups are mixed together in the same tutor group. This approach aims to foster a stronger sense of community and support among students of varying ages.

We did: conducted a summer 2024 internship on inclusivity, focusing on the student voice

We did: shifted initial module feedback to earlier in the term and revamped feedback forms

You said: you wanted more support and guidance

We did: improved the ways in which students can access advice and guidance by:

• Launching the Study Skills Moodle pages, where you can find tips on how to write essays, explanations of our marking criteria, and lots more
• Offering Philosophy Study Skills Link opens in a new windowsessions in Terms 1 and 2, which have been recorded to be re-watched later
• Offering more accessible essay and assessment support
• Publishing staff office hours in more places, including online, to make it easier for you to contact our academic staff and meet with module tutors.
• By introducing a new Personal Development form, designed to facilitate your personal tutor meetings and help you keep track of your development.
• By timing Term 3 Personal Tutor meetings to coincide with choices you will be making about your course (e.g. module selection).

-

You said: you wanted more engaging teaching

We did: took additional steps to offer the highest quality learning experience by:

• Responding to requests for modules on topics you are particularly interested in. Modules list can be accessed here
• Rewarding outstanding teaching performances by staff and teaching assistants with nominations for the Warwick Awards for Teaching Excellence
• Making all of our module reading lists available online
• Encouraging the development of a more inclusive curriculum and supporting staff to diversify their reading lists
• By involving the SSLC in the departmental teaching planning process
• By introducing a Philosophy Teaching Exchange for staff and graduate students who teach, to facilitate exchange of best practice in teaching and learning, and training in academic technology

-

You said: you wanted better assessment guidance and feedback

We did: clarified our marking criteria and improved the ways in which we give students feedback on their work by:

• Adding an explanation of our marking criteria to the Study Skills Moodle pages and by offering study skills sessions on how to write a philosophy essay

• Developing more detailed guidelines for staff on how to offer helpful comments on your work

-

You said: we could improve the sense of community

We did: invested in developing our community of staff and students and in enhancing the student voice by:

• Offering more Departmental support to the SSLC
• Introducing student representatives on the Departmental Equality and Welfare Committee (EWC)
• Introducing a weekly Philosophy Community & Opportunity newsletter sent by the Director of Student Experience and Progression
• Relaunching the Departmental Instagram account with news about Departmental and student-community activities
• Supporting the creation of the Warwick Philosophy Black Voice Network and facilitating its work with the SSLC and the EWC
• Offering Departmental support to PhilSoc and Pharos Magazine
• Introducing the Philosophy Events Committee and Student Events Fund Link opens in a new windowand working in partnership with the students to co-create the events calendar in the Department

-

You said: you wanted more careers support

We did: improved the career development support available to students by:

• Working with our career consultant, who is happy to answer your careers related questions

• Developing an online resource for career development support – see our Philosophy Employability Moodle

• Including career events within our Study Skills sessions

• Providing examples of career paths chosen by Warwick Philosophy graduates and making them available to you

• Introducing an opportunity for you to spend a year in employment during your studies

• Holding an annual Work Experience for Philosophers information session featuring current Philosophy students who have completed work experience opportunities (e.g., Work Placement Year, Warwick Internship Programme)

You said: you are inspired by lectures that are intellectually challenging and engaging

We did: returned to in-person lectures across all year groups this academic year, allowing lecturers to adapt their delivery based on student reactions and provides the opportunity for immediate questions and clarifications, fostering a deeper understanding of the teaching materials

--

You said: online exams are stressful, prone to technical problems, and you have concerns about academic misconduct

We did: introduced in-person exams on all modules in the 2024/5 academic year to improve the fairness, rigor and effectiveness of our department’s assessment processes

--

You said: you appreciate frequent Support and Feedback classes and enjoy the interactive and personalised learning opportunities they provide

So did: introduced weekly Support and Feedback classes on all core Micro, Macro and Quantitative modules in 2024/25

--

You said: you would like more internships or practical experience during your course

We did: introducing a new degree programme, BSc Economics and Management, taught jointly with Warwick Business School, which includes an optional work placement year. This gives students the opportunity to apply skills and knowledge in a real world setting before returning to Warwick for the final year of studies

--

You said: improvements should be made to how teaching is scheduled, and you disliked last minute information about timetabling changes

We did: redesigned the timetable construction process so that the Term 1 and 2 timetables are published before the start of term and class sign up is opened for both terms at the beginning of the academic year.

--

You said: you would like more resources pre-arrival and during Year 1 for those without a background in economics

We did: have continued to develop our academic resourcesLink opens in a new window for offer holders and new students to use, with the Refresher Maths Moodle course now extended to include Statistics. Bridging resources are currently being developed to help students transition between Year 1 and 2 in Microeconomics and Macroeconomics.

--

You said: you wanted more information about what each module would be about

We did: have now provided short videos where the module leaders provide an overview of their modules. We also held a module fair to give students the opportunity to learn more about the optional modules available.

We did: created an NSS action plan following your feedback including: departmental culture, research openness, curriculum design, and community engagement

We did: further developed our engagement strategy to improve the attendance and engagement with lectures.

You said: while on modules in other departments you felt you had no voice

We did: we approached all partner departments for our joint programmes to have an SSLC rep on their SSLC panels. WBS, CS, and Maths have a confirmed Stats student rep

We did: integrated intercultural training into a Year 1 module

We did: revised the second-year assessment structure

We did: enhanced the mentor scheme and improved departmental communication, including user-friendly webpages

You said: assessment quality is inconsistent
We did: initiated a systematic year review to improve assessment, where the DUGs and DSEP teamwork with module organisers to adjust their assessment and feedback based on previous student feedback

--

You said: feedback periods are too limited
We did: introduced an end of year feedback form, to allow for module evaluation that can include the context of revision, coursework feedback and the exam. These are then used to feed into our new module review process

--

You said: it can be hard to know what events are on
We did: ensured reminder emails are sent frequently, introduced the student event’s calendar to make tracking events easier and have introduced Patch Notes at the start of lectures and in the DCS atrium in order to present a weekly summary of the important events

You said: some of the student spaces were uninviting and dull

We did: improved student study spaces with new furniture and are planning an art competition to enhance the environment with your work

--

You said: you would like to see more industry partners on campus and careers events that were relevant for Life Sciences students

We did: we hosted the first Life Sciences, Chemistry, and WMS careers showcase

--

You said: The Apple MAC’s are difficult to use in the ICL suite (especially the mouse)

We did: upgraded the Apple Mac computers and replaced all mice for standard mice for better usability. In addition we will be running sessions on Mac use for beginners prior to exam periods

You said: you wanted more career guidance and signposting of employability opportunities

We did: increased focus on careers and employability events by:

• Fundamentally reshaping how skills and careers are explicitly embedded across our degree courses, via a review of our current curriculum
• Establishment of a Departmental Lead on Employability, with a remit to work with colleagues to consider how best to embed employability and provide additional opportunities for students to develop transferable skills and career planning
• Creation of an event with Warwick Enterprise, highlighting opportunities and transferrable skills gained through degrees in History
• Organised an annual alumni event, inviting past students from the department to speak about how their History degree has helped support their career development

--

You said: you needed more wellbeing and support resources, through departmental feedback mechanisms, such as via the Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) and specific module feedback and NSS comments

We did: introduced additional wellbeing events and support resources by:

• Holding an information session for 'Accessing support at Warwick’ online with a recording and transcription subsequently made available online
• updating information and support being provided to students identified through the department’s processes for monitoring student attendance and progress
• a review of departmental communication around and support for Reasonable Adjustments, in line with the university’s approach and policies

You said: detailed feedback, including verbal feedback, helps you make progress academically

We did: 

• included the names of markers on all feedback sheets. This allows you to obtain additional verbal feedback, helping to clarify anything you do not understand
• promoted feedback as something received when writing an essay or revising for an exam (for example, talking through a plan for an essay or exam answer in an advice and feedback hour)
• Made formative feedback sheets designed to provide comprehensive feedback, indicating areas for improvement and providing comments on seminar performance

--

You said: exam feedback is important to you (in line with the Students’ Union Campaign for Departments to provide exam feedback)

We did: 

• PAIS remains one of the only Warwick departments to give individual written feedback on all exams
• We go further than just written comments: we give students an opportunity to talk through their exam feedback with the marker
• Our feedback sheets for exams are designed to give feedback on each individual exam answer, as well as an overall assessment
• Pioneered the use of Tabula and are now using it throughout our programmes to publish feedback electronically

--

You said: the purpose of ‘office hours’ to be clearer and to indicate the kinds of support you can receive from academic staff

We did: re-named office hours ‘advice and feedback hours’, thereby indicating the seriousness PAIS attaches to feedback and the variety of forms feedback to you can take

--

You said: you would like even clearer marking criteria

We did:

• Ran a dedicated workshop on the PAIS marking criteria.

• Have defined the headings/categories of the marking criteria to make them clearer for students

• Developed revised and more detailed marking descriptors as outlined in the PAIS Undergraduate handbook. This allows you to understand the marking criteria before you tackle assignments and have been updated to reflect the new 20 point marking scale

--

You said: you would like us to focus more on skills and 'employability' and the ways in which a PAIS degree develops the knowledge and skills you will need for the future

We did: 

• An annual PAIS Alumni event. We also run a number of career events each year, invite individual speakers, and our Senior Careers Consultant offers booked appointments with PAIS students
• Have appointed a student experience team member with responsibility for employability
• Have extensively updated our careers, employability, and internship webpages
• Are actively engaging with the Warwick Award and have populated Moodle module webpages with the transferable skills students gain
• Each category of our revised marking criteria corresponds to a key set of transferable academic skills that students will continue to develop during their studies in PAIS
• Appointed 16 undergraduate research assistants, following a competitive application process amongst our students. The successful applicants are paid almost £14 per hour and work alongside our academics on research projects and enhancing teaching and the student experience
• Expanded our study abroad opportunities. PAIS has a growing portfolio of overseas exchange partners around the world, and you can study with them for a semester, an integrated year that counts towards your degree, or an intercalated year that adds time to your degree, depending on which partner you wish to study with
• Expanded our PAIS student ambassador scheme. We now have over 30 ambassadors. Successful candidates are paid almost £14 per hour, following a competitive application process
• Held an Undergraduate Dissertation Conference, modelled on our highly successful M.A. dissertation conference
• Introduced a scheme whereby undergraduates can apply for funding support from PAIS to participate in conferences

--

You said: high quality academic support was important to you, particularly in terms of teaching staff supporting your learning

We did: 

• PAIS offers three levels of academic support for our students - module tutors, personal tutors led by our Director of Student Wellbeing, and a student experience team led by our DSEP - not forgetting the wider support available throughout the University.
• Introduced an additional personal tutor meeting in term 3 for all undergraduates (with a focus on future module choices and support for exams).
• We have run very well-received academic support sessions on essay writing and exam technique for all year groups.
• Ran an MA information session and a dissertation information session to support decisions on study choices.
• We developed a clearer who to contact guide and a student email policy. Taken together these better enable students to contact academic and professional services colleagues and receive tailored support.
• Introduced a new online 'study choices' guide, covering module choices, assessment choices, outside options, languages, and postgraduate study etc.
• Developed new personal tutor guidelines to ensure meetings are as productive as possible for you. We also updated our personal tutor page to make the role clearer and answer questions you may have
• Removed optional formative essays which very few students were writing and were resulting in too many notifications from Tabula in term 2. This has enabled us to maximise support and resources on essay plans
• Summative essay titles are announced and submissions opened from Term 1 on Tabula to help students organise their time and workloads from the start of the year
• Worked with module directors to stagger summative deadlines - including in term 3 - where we can
• Updated our mitigating circumstances page to make the process clearer to students. We have named the members of the mitigating circumstances panel. We have clarified how students can find out how they have been applied. The process is now online based, via Tabula, making it easier for students
• Updated our academic support webpages with a dedicated section on essay writing and exam resources

--

You said: you would like additional library resources to help you in your studies

We did: 

• Each year we look at our module evaluation results and direct library resources to where your feedback tells us they would be valued the most

• The Library recently secured a new £34,993 x 3 year deal for access to the Oxford Politics Trove collection of e-books

• The Trove collection will be particularly useful for the core modules where OUP key texts have never been available in an e-format for purchase, via the other e-book providers we use

--

You said: you would like the highest quality online resources

We did: 

• We continue to develop our PAIS Undergraduate webpages
• The entire PAIS website has been reconfigured and rebranded
• We moved across our module websites to Moodle and introduced Talis Aspire reading list software across all our modules
• We appointed an Academic Technologist. This role is targeted to further enhance resources on Moodle. We redesigned our module websites in response to student feedback

--

You said: you would like the student voice to be heard ‘loud and clear’ in PAIS

We did:

• Led the way in running online elections for your SSLC
• Provided an online form for students to submit their feedback directly to SSLC reps
• Ran focus groups and Head of Department discussion lunches so our finalist students could provide their input on developing PAIS, based on their experience of 3 or 4 years with us
• Invited students to presentations given by Teaching Fellow applicants so that they can help decide on the teachers of the future (and in the process gain experience of the kind of presentations they may need to give when applying for jobs)
• Expanded student representation on key departmental committees - our Education Committee, Widening Participation Committee, and Equality and Diversity Committee. We invite SSLC reps to departmental staff meetings (Department Board). Course Reps actively contributed to our Institutional and Teaching Learning Review (ITLR) submission and the ITLR process in the University more widely
• Set up an SSLC forum bringing together Course Reps from single honours and joint degrees to discuss shared concerns and facilitate improvements
• Set up a Decolonising the Curriculum Working Group, co-chaired by a student. We also set up a Liberating the Curriculum Scheme. Through collaboration with students several modules have been revised
• Moved the module feedback process online and set aside time in lectures/seminars for you to complete it so that it is easier than ever for you to give us your feedback on your modules
• Following feedback from finalists, we communicated the date of Graduation earlier to students. This enables you to plan ahead with your families and friends

--

You said: you would like PAIS to provide an even more friendly and sociable environment community of students and staff

We did:

• We now have one of the biggest common rooms on campus - also with a kettle and microwave. We installed a printer, more table and chairs, and additional plug/mobile phone sockets
• We hold regular drinks for students in the Dirty Duck/Fusion and pizza and drinks events for finalists
• We hold a big social event in the Copper Rooms each March for all our students. This has featured a pub quiz, a performance by our PAIS Department band, The Plagiarists, and academics DJ'ing .There has been free food and drink

You said: you wanted clearer communication from the department

We did: we re-launched the WMG student newsletter, sent weekly by the WMG Student Experience Team to full-time undergraduate students. This newsletter highlights key opportunities and important information for students. Additionally, we introduced a monthly newsletter for undergraduate degree apprentices to help them feel more connected to the WMG student community

You said: you would like more advice on how to improve your future assignments

We did: introduced a new assignment feedback sheet with greater focus on ‘feed forward’

--

You said: that you’d prefer to have a named specialist route on your degree title to help with career and further study prospects after graduation

We did: have planned to shortly introduce new ‘pathways’ for the BA Education degree, allowing specialist routes based on your module choices

--

You said: you have provided us with various module feedback

We did: implementing plans to revamp the first-year curriculum to provide a more obvious theoretical foundation and deal with some existing overlapping topics.​ We are also adapting the second-year policy module to have a more global outlook, and a greater focus on how to analyse and interpret education policy

What you said has helped us to implement the following changes:

• Established an SSLC for each programme rather than each year
• Collaborated with SSLCs and LingSoc to clarify the roles of each group
• Expanded Lecture Capture and other asynchronous resources to support learning beyond module meetings
• Increased opportunities for advice and feedback outside of class
• Introduced new optional modules, including Language, Society & Power, Dialects, and Multilingualism and Culture
• Implemented major structural changes to LCC (which will become the BA Professional and Intercultural Communication in 2025) and LML based on your feedback.
• Began consultation with students on updates to ELL
• Simplified and clarified assessment procedures, including removing cover pages and standardising word count and style guide requirements across modules.
• Removed automatic penalties for submissions below the word count
• Enhanced training on academic writing and referencing, including new content in ET120 and ET315 and additional sessions provided by Tilly
• Intervened when feedback was delayed or assignment deadlines presented issues
• Introduced ‘self-certifications’ for late submissions and ensured automatic implementation of reasonable adjustments
• Extended all summative deadlines after Christmas by at least one week and moved the dissertation deadline to Term 3
• Increased focus on career skills and opportunities, including bespoke updates in the triweekly newsletter (led by Clare Halldron) and sessions on applying academic skills to job applications
• Delivered DSeP sessions on understanding and using feedback to improve coursework
• Established an Academic Integrity Lead to coordinate policies across the department
• Expanded module-specific and assignment-specific guidance on using AI
• Developed an online module on AI policy, now used across the university
• Included SSLC representation at undergraduate staff course meetings