School of Mathematical Sciences UG Student Handbook 2024/25

Your views are important to the School of Mathematical Sciences and Queen Mary. There are a variety of ways in which you can tell us what you think and share your ideas for improvements.  At an institutional level, there are student representatives on Council, Senate and various committees across Queen Mary. Student representatives, elected by fellow students, also speak on behalf of the student body at the School, Faculty and Queen Mary-wide level via various committees, groups and meetings. More information can be found at http://my.qmul.ac.uk/your-voice/feedback/.

Student Voice Committee (SVC) and Course Reps

The School of Mathematical Sciences undergraduate Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) normally meets twice a semester. It discusses matters of interest to undergraduates, including the curriculum, student welfare and facilities, and advises the Head of School. The Students' Union arranges elections for at least two student course representatives from each BSc year and one from the final MSci year. Please raise any matters of concern with one of your student course representatives.

The School takes suggestions from the SSLC very seriously. The committee is chaired by Dr Justin Ward and attended by the Head of School, Director of Education, Deputy Director of Education, Education Services Manager and Student Support Officer. We provide details of the SSLC on QMplus, including minutes of past meetings. See also Student feedback.

Each year of each course has at least one Course Representative. Course Reps are the key link between students and staff in their school.

They seek out students' views and represent them at Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) meetings, work in partnership with staff to improve their course and resolve any course-related issues as they arise throughout the year. Course Reps work closely with the Students' Union to campaign for change and make things better for students.

Student Ambassadors

The School of Mathematical Sciences employs a number of students to act as guides and talk to prospective students who attend open days or post-offer visit days. There are similar opportunities within Queen Mary. Look out for emails and notices if you are interested, and see https://www.qmul.ac.uk/careers/jobs-and-work-experience/items/display-name-717785-en.html

Maths Student Feedback Open Forums

During each semester, each year group will be invited to attend a forum with the Student Support Officer. This is your chance as a cohort to give your individual and group feedback. The Student Support Officer is the only member of staff who attends and we encourage you to be as open and honest as possible whilst giving constructive feedback about your whole student experience. Both positive and negative feedback from these forums are anonymised and taken to the relevant staff committees within the School and Queen Mary in order to bring about any necessary changes to improve your experience.

Module Evaluation Questionnaires

Each semester, we will ask you to complete a standard one-page questionnaire online for each of the Mathematical Sciences modules that you are taking. We use the results to try to identify any problems and rectify them. This will be completed via the QM App.

uk engagement survey (ukes)

The UK Engagement Survey (UKES) is a national survey which gives you the opportunity to tell us about your learning experience at Queen Mary. It is open to all undergraduate students who are not eligible to complete the National Student Survey.

The UKES is facilitated by Advance HE, the national body that champions teaching excellence. The survey asks you about things like how you engage with the learning on your course, how you work with others, and what kind of activities help you to learn. It is a chance to reflect on how you study and what might help your studies in the future.

http://my.qmul.ac.uk/your-voice/feedback/ukes/

National Student Survey

All final-year undergraduate students at UK institutions take part in the National Student Survey (NSS). The NSS is a nationally recognised annual survey of mostly final-year undergraduates in the UK. The survey gives you an opportunity to give your opinions on what you liked about your time at Queen Mary as well as things that you feel could have been improved.

If you are a finalist, you will usually be contacted by email early in the spring term. Please do complete the NSS, and fill it in honestly.

The NSS results are made publicly available to help prospective students make informed decisions of where and what to study. Queen Mary and the Students’ Union will also use the data to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses to help effect change and bring about enhancements to improve the student experience for future generations of students. Data from previous surveys are available on Unistats. http://my.qmul.ac.uk/your-voice/feedback/national-student-survey/

How can I provide personal feedback?

You are welcome to make suggestions for improvement to members of staff, such as your module organisers or advisor, and we will try to pursue any serious suggestions that may lead to improvements in our procedures. Please contact the Student Support Officer if you have any general feedback.