You told us, so we are

Students value ongoing services and support that will help you to be successful in your studies.

Student satisfaction with support was relatively steady (-1.7%), but pleasingly, the proportion of students who were satisfied with the support they received relevant to their personal circumstances increased compared to the previous survey.  

So we are…

Keeping student services and support switched on, and embedding more types of personalised support, available anytime, anywhere.

• We know that the COVID-19 global pandemic, and changes to the way students live and study, have had significant impacts (across financial, wellbeing, and social aspects of life). That’s why we’re making sure we can provide as much support as we can.
• We will continue to offer our free and confidential 24/7 Student Wellbeing Support Line, available to students enrolled at any UOW Australian campus to make sure you have help when you need it.
• We are making new services available to provide more personalised academic and wellbeing support for students. This semester we are piloting a new 24hr online service for students who want to improve their study and research skills. Students can also get feedback on their writing skills and support with tricky maths topics.  
• Find out the full range of services and support available for students.

UOW’s online learning platforms should be easier to use.

Students said navigation was often hard and information within the platforms often felt disorganised.

So we are…

Working hard to improve our online learning sites.

• This is among our top learning and teaching priorities. Using digital technology to provide a richer learning experience has always been a high priority at UOW, but now it’s at the absolute top of the list.
• You will find subject sites easier to use as UOW adopts a more consistent navigation and user experience. You will also feel more confident about finding learning materials across different subject sites.

Upgraded technology.

• We have recently upgraded technology in many of the Wollongong campus classrooms, improving how we capture, record, and live stream lectures for students studying online.
• Over 2021 and 2022, UOW will continue to build a ‘digital campus’ – because technology doesn’t just make learning more flexible, it can also make it more engaging and effective.

How we are responding to your feedback for better access (video)

The main aspect of online learning that students want to retain is the flexibility it provides.

So we are…

Keeping flexible options.

• We are recording more lectures using lecture capture, wherever the technology is available (it’s becoming available in more and more classrooms). This also means less timetable clashes, and easier ways to catch up or revise materials.
• We are providing more ways for students to access the information they need, but may have missed (like information covered in tutorials).

How we are responding to your feedback for more flexibility (video)

Online study, on the whole, increased students’ work load.

52.2% of students said that both their study load, and workload for subjects had increased.

So we are…

Evolving online delivery.

• Academics are working hard to improve the way we deliver subjects online, focussing on improving the digital learning experience of students and on improving online assessment. This work will continue for the coming 1-2 years, based on what we have learned about good online delivery.
• We are re-platforming online exam delivery (implementing improved technology), to directly tackle the issues students faced with online exams.

Most students missed being able to come to campus to study.

While 74% of students ended up doing all units online, 76.3% told us they would prefer study to return to campus.

So we are…

Returning to a vibrant and safe campus experience as soon as possible is among our top priorities.

• We know most of you miss being on campus and making the most of the social aspects of uni. We continue to be committed to bringing students back on campus safely and returning to a fully vibrant campus experience as soon as we can.
• Remote activities that connect you to your peers will continue to be available (e.g. Couch conversations, Global community connections, Peer assistance coaching). All peer-led programs will continue to have online delivery wherever possible.
• Find out the full range of services and support available for students. 

Students want an acknowledgement and understanding that transitioning to online learning has had an impact on their grades.    

So we are...

Implementing changes to grades and academic consideration for Trimesters 2 and 3, Spring Session and other 2021 non-standard sessions.  

• Fail grades will not be recorded on academic transcripts where students have demonstrated a genuine attempt at the subject, and the fail grade is not a result of academic misconduct 
• Students who feel their subject mark does not reflect their full capability, will have the option to have the mark and grade replaced with 'Satisfactory' on their transcript 
• We have waived a few requirements relating to the Academic Consideration (AC) application process:  
  - students will not need to provide supporting documentation as part of an Academic Consideration application; 
  - we recognise that all students will be impacted, in some way, by the transition to online learning, and so this will be taken into consideration when marking assessments. This means students won’t have to apply for Academic Consideration for consideration in the marking of an assessment; 
  - students may receive communication or have documentation from their faculty or subject outline about the removal of compulsory attendance. These students will not be required to submit a request for Academic Consideration for attendance. 

Students want staff and student leaders at UOW to be better equipped to deal with sexual violence on campus. 

So we are… 

Continuing to train staff and student leaders in providing appropriate first response support to anyone disclosing incidents of sexual harassment or sexual assault.  

We’ve trained more than 700 staff and student leaders so far.  

We have gone one step further and have reached out to work placement providers and offered them access to free training so they can identify behaviours that constitute sexual harassment and sexual assault, and respond and support students and staff appropriately and effectively. 

HOW WE ARE RESPONDING TO YOUR FEEDBACK FOR BETTER TRAINING (VIDEO)

Students want UOW to lead the way in preventing sexual violence in our community as well as on campus. 

So we are… 

Partnering with the Wollongong Liquor Accord to develop an online training program called Set The Bar for staff working in licensed premises.  

This training educates bar staff on how to address and respond to sexual harassment and sexual assaults in their venues, and what to say and do if incidents of sexual harassment or sexual assault are disclosed to them.    
 
This training will help the wider community in raising awareness around sexual violence and providing the knowledge and tools to address undesirable behaviour. 

How we are responding to your feedback for better training (video)

Students want their voices heard on important issues around discrimination, harassment and sexual assault at UOW. 

So we are… 

Continuing to work with student representatives on our Safe and Respectful Communities Advisory Group. 

The Advisory Group was established to provide advice directly to the Vice-Chancellor on addressing the recommendations issued in the Australian Human Rights Commission Change the course report.

How we are responding to your feedback for input on student safety (video)