It’s important that we listen to what you tell us, and do what we can to improve the things that don’t work for you.
In fact, it’s integral to our strategic framework for the rest of this decade - Vision 2030.
Each year, your feedback informs hundreds of decisions made across the University. This isn’t just about learning and teaching, but everything to do with your student life – from in-person support, to your digital and physical environment, and the opportunities available to you beyond your studies.
In the 2023 National Student Survey (NSS), final year undergraduates were 78% satisfied – an 8% increase on the year before. And our second successive Silver award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) demonstrates that we’re delivering the high-quality student experience and student outcomes that you deserve.
Here are just some of the ways in which we've acted upon your feedback, and some of the things we've done to meet your needs, during the past year.
- MyRecord now includes useful contact details for your studies, including the name and email address of your Course Director, making it easier than ever to reach out for academic support if you need it.
- New Learning Skills Hub modules for this academic year include Transitioning to university study, Spelling, punctuation and grammar, and Presentations.
- We’ve committed to using anonymous marking wherever possible for eligible types of assessment, to provide you with additional reassurance that your work is marked fairly and impartially.
- The Graduate College has launched a series of monthly ‘open house’ research seminars, at which postgraduate research students can present their work on topics like human rights, education, and exercise and wellbeing and undergraduate students can find out more about PG study and research.
- In addition, the Graduate College’s seminar series for postgraduate research students has been expanded to include new evening and weekend sessions – ideal for PGR students who have weekday commitments.
- We’ve updated our supporting guidance for exceptional circumstances and temporary learning agreements to clarify terms and conditions about which you weren’t always clear.
- We’ve increased the number and variety of our online and in-person wellbeing support events, while still delivering long-standing favourites like Tea at Three, the Wellbeing Café, and Chooseday Chill.
- As part of our partnership with Spectrum.Life, we’ve held dedicated mental health ‘virtual roundtable’ events, in addition to Spectrum.Life’s 24/7 wellbeing support via the App, text or telephone.
- To help you take care of your wellbeing when looking for jobs and starting work, the Careers and Enterprise Team have held workshops on overcoming imposter syndrome, mindfulness in the workplace, and conquering new job anxiety.
- The new Multi-Use Games Area opposite Verena Holmes gives you more space on campus to meet, be active, play sports, and have fun!
- Our new, free Pick Up & Play sessions are designed for students who don’t want the commitment or pressure of joining a sports team.
- Students in University accommodation now get free gym membership.
- Our new partnership with sport kit supplier New Balance means that individual students and sports teams can access the very best in sportswear.
- Our Cost Of Living Hub brings together financial advice and help with making and saving money in one easy-to-access place.
- Our Student Money Advisor, Kerry, is a full-time member of staff who’s qualified to answer your questions on budgeting, saving money and student banking.
- By signing up to the UPay catering loyalty app, you’ll be notified of free food giveaways! It’s also a great way to budget and manage your spending when on campus.
- Our helping hand menu includes a selection of classic and healthy lunch dishes for £3 or less, to make sure you can access to nutritious, healthy food at affordable prices.
- Dedicated Heat and Eat spaces make it easier to heat up your own food on both Canterbury and Medway campuses.
- We worked with the Universities of Kent and Greenwich to introduce a policy to no longer charge fines on overdue library items.
- In addition, administration charges have been dropped from the replacement of lost or damaged library items, plus we’ve committed to keeping document delivery as a free service.
- Sports club and gym membership prices have been frozen for this year, despite rising costs.
- Financial support including bursaries, scholarships and expenses is now paid direct into your bank account via CCCU Aspire.
- Your digital library has grown even further, to give you access to 55,000 more e-books and an additional 250 journals – many of them in direct response to your feedback via the ‘suggest an e-book’ campaign.
- We purchased the most-read of the 46,000 Cambridge University Press titles available to you via Cambridge Core last year, so they’re now permanent fixtures in your digital library.
- You asked for more choice in non-academic reading, so we’ve added over 1,000 magazine subscriptions to the Libby app. Sports, movies, videogames, technology, cookery, music, art, fashion, travel, history, photography, gardening… there’s now something for everyone.
- You can now access over 1,000,000 images sourced from cultural institutions worldwide via Artstor. Plus, we’ve made it possible for you to access more historic newspapers, and academic resources via the Scopus database.
- To keep you informed about any service unavailability, we’ve developed a LibrarySearch status updates webpage so we can let you know precisely what’s happening and when.
- Drill Hall Library’s collection of non-academic books has been relocated and refreshed to create a cosy ‘reading nook’.
- The family study space in Drill Hall Library - designed for use by student parents who need to bring young children to the library while they study - has been updated and relocated.
- Our careers advice, training, and workshops and our connections with industry have helped make us the number one university in the UK for graduates in employment.
- GradForce: Get Hired! was brought forward from January to November, to mitigate potential conflicts with final year assessments.
- Our How To Make Money workshops now run in both Semesters 1 and 2, to better suit different course timetables.
- We’ve increased our range of careers workshops, including more after-hours sessions for students with commitments during the working day.
- It’s now easier for you to share your academic achievements with potential employers, as Higher Education Achievement Reports (HEARs) have moved online.
- New printing system PaperCut has made it easier to print from devices including MacBooks and smartphones, plus you can scan documents directly to your student OneDrive accounts.
- We improved the way that module and course Blackboards are set-up, meaning that registered students were able to access their course learning materials earlier than ever before this academic year.
- The Group Zone in Drill Hall Library now has more ‘bring your own device’ spaces with charging facilities for smartphones, tablets and laptops. And the Drill Hall Library LapSafe scheme now allows you to borrow a laptop and charging cable, and take them off campus, for up to 7 days at a time.
- On-campus student desktop PCs have been upgraded to Windows 11, providing you with access to the latest software.
- The new Students' Union Hub in Anselm includes offices, meeting rooms and social areas to enable the SU to deliver a range of activities, events, and services on campus.
- If you're into outdoor chill spots, you'll love our new sustainable Round House on Anselm Lawn. It's made from local woodland materials and is perfect for relaxing, socialising, and outdoor learning.
- Improvements to teaching spaces this past year have included lecture theatre seating in Old Sessions House and new sim space in Rowan Williams Court.
- Cathedral Court’s new ‘access control’ system has further improved building security on the Medway campus.
- Based on your feedback the Library Team made changes to how group study rooms in Augustine House are booked, giving fairer access and better availability.
- More soft seating has been added to the café in Drill Hall Library.
- We were ranked a ‘Gold Tier’ university in an annual UK study of the sector’s sustainability credentials.
- The Academy for Sustainable Futures has launched a new year-round Climate Ready programme, including our nationally-recognised, free carbon literacy training.
- Catering has introduced a new reusable zero waste cup in their outlets alongside a scheme where you don’t have to carry your cup around but can trade it for an exchange card ready for when you want your next drink
- By joining in our interactive Climate Fresk workshops, you can learn about the causes and effects of climate change through a puzzle-solving game played by more than 1 million people worldwide.
- Monthly Climate Café Nature Walks give you an opportunity to explore nearby nature and to discuss your climate anxieties in a supportive environment.
- Through our Eco-Hope talks, screenings and events, we’re helping you feel empowered and hopeful about the future.
- We’ve been working in partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust to reintroduce the red-billed chough to Kent after a 200-year absence.
- The Library has expanded its collection of sustainability e-books through Edward Elgin Online.
- Events held during green libraries week gave you the opportunity to upcycle clothes, glassware and more.
- New printing app PaperCut includes a full history of your printing so you can keep tabs on how much paper you use.
- We’ve improved our ranking in the English Social Mobility Index and are now in the top 25 institutions who help students from disadvantaged background to progress and succeed in their future careers. The Futures Aspire Scholarship is an award of £5,000 a year offered to a student who may have experienced barriers to succeed in their educational journey.
- Our new Students Events hub is embedded within the student webpages, making it easier for you to search for and find events of interest.
- We’ve expanded our package of support for international students – from more appointments with the Academic English Language Support Team to postgraduate drop-ins led by students themselves.
- For students with print disabilities, the alternative formats service has been streamlined. Once your need is documented on your learning support plan, the Libraries service will automatically liaise with your Course team to ensure you have accessible versions of the library texts you need.
- The Expect Respect Welcome module includes practical advice on building supportive networks, healthy relationships, and staying safe at CCCU. And you can win awesome prizes when you take the Expect Respect Pledge!
- By continuing to work with 10,000 Black Interns and 10,000 Able Interns, we’re helping even more Black and Mixed Ethnic students and students with a disability to access paid internships across a wide range of industries.
