News writer Rosie Dow sits down with the newly elected 2024/5 Education Officer, Alex Keen.
The recently elected Education Officer, Alex Keen promises accountability, collaboration, and communication in the forthcoming year.
In an interview with Redbrick, Keen discussed his goals to reform the Student Rep system. Driven by his personal experience as a Rep during the COVID-19 pandemic, university strikes and becoming a College of Social Sciences Rep in 2023, he shared his knowledge of the system. Currently, Student Reps and College Reps are voluntary representatives – Keen is eager to implement payment for College Reps due to their workload.
Keen emphasised that feedback needs to be acted on, and changes must be consistently communicated between the University and its students.
However, Keen acknowledged that ‘paying all students reps would be difficult’. He proposes a reduction in the number of Student Reps to make them more visible and allow a smoother feedback process. Furthermore, he highlighted that Student Experience Officers are paid positions so he would introduce a similar scheme for College Reps.
The fourth year, studying International Relations, expressed that he has sometimes been frustrated with the poor communication from the University when changes are made. He emphasised that feedback needs to be acted on, and changes must be consistently communicated between the University and its students.
‘We should have a much bigger stake in what happens,’ said Keen, discussing the student voices at UoB. Keen added that he will lobby for the earlier release of exam timetables – an ongoing concern for UoB students across all departments.
During his year abroad at the University of Waterloo in Canada, the different education system allowed students to pick modules from a different discipline to their degree subject. He wishes to incorporate a more interdisciplinary approach to undergraduate degrees at UoB.
Keen emphasised that having the option to study and gain experience in multiple fields would serve to improve students’ experience. He believes reform will inspire collaboration and skill-sharing across different departments, making students more well-rounded candidates for job opportunities post-university.
Keen will focus on ensuring payment for the College Rep roles and earlier release of timetables as key priorities during his time as Education Officer.
In addition, Keen advocated for better publicised research events, and opportunities in research. These events will foster pride in the University’s Research achievements, he said, as they can generate networking opportunities between students and UoB academics. Keen stated this career was an area of personal interest to him and that he had struggled to access said opportunities at the University.
Keen also signalled that the University could do more in terms of sustainability. He argues that there should be a greater emphasis on Sustainable Development goals within degree programmes.
Keen will collaborate with next year’s Sustainability Officer and believes this focus on sustainability will provide a critical reflection which undergraduate degrees are currently lacking.
Keen was clear on his commitment to greater accountability and enhancing the academic experience for next year’s students. He hopes to lobby for a more interdisciplinary and sustainability focussed education structure, and will focus on ensuring payment for the College Rep roles and earlier release of timetables as key priorities during his time as Education Officer next year.
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