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Front Cover
Front Cover
Introduction
Executive Summary
A total of 2,910 Speak Week cards were completed during Speak Week 2017; leading to
the coding of 6,885 open-comments, marking a significant increase from Speak Week
2016.
The large majority of respondents were undergraduate students (N=2,232), with a strong
level of Postgraduate responses (N=300). There was much variation in the number of
cards provided by each school, with the greatest number of cards provided by Business
(N=253). Though proportionally, the best performing school was the School of Welsh,
where 1-in-5 students completed a Speak Week card.
The most important topics discussed by students during Speak Week, in terms of total
number of references, were: ‘Learning and Teaching’ (N=1,174), ‘Catering and Commercial
Outlets’ (N=820), ‘Buildings, Facilities, and Maintenance’ (N=691), ‘Students’ Union’
(N=630), and ‘Assessment and Feedback’ (N=487). Though a variety of other themes also
emerged within students responses, with many of these detailed within this report.
This shows that the educational experiences of students is still the most important topic for
students, with sub-themes such as ‘Timetabling’ and ‘Lecture Capture’ featuring
prominently. However, other important sub-themes, which emerged from the
aforementioned key topics discussed, include: the price of food and drink, greater provision
of water fountains, SU nightclub events, assessment timetabling, and improving
assessment feedback. Therefore, students, while showing their appreciation for the efforts
of Cardiff University and Cardiff University Students’ Union, have provided a variety of
concerns they wish to be addressed.
The level of responses this year signifies the importance students place on feedback and
improving the student experience. From this, Cardiff University Students’ Union remains
fully committed to collaborating with Cardiff University to enhance the student experience;
ensuring students remain at the forefront of the University experience.
Demography
In total, 2,910 speak week cards were completed during Speak Week 2017, which led to 6,885
individual open-comments being provided. Speak Week 2016 had slightly over 2,200 cards
completed with this equating to 5,013 individual comments. Therefore student engagement with
Speak Week has increased this year, which translates into additional feedback on the University
experience for students.
When filling in cards students were able to select which type of student they are, however a
proportion of students did not provide this information. The options provided were ‘Undergrad’
(N=2,232), Postgrad Taught’ (N=248), ‘Postgrad Research’ (N=52), ‘International Student’
(N=210), and ‘Mature Student’ (N=57). However, it must be appreciated that the remaining,
unspecified cards would belong to students from one or more of these categories.
Chart 1 presents the total number of undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate
research students completed speak week cards. Unfortunately a comparison with previous years
cannot be conducted due to a change in the methodology used in conducting and analysing the
data acquired.
Chart 1: Showing total number of undergraduate, postgraduate taught and postgraduate research
respondents.
2,232
248
52
Undergraduate Postgraduate Taught Postgraduate Research
In addition, students were able to state which school of study they were in by writing the course
they are currently studying; though not all students did provide this data. Table 1 below shows the
total number of responses provided by school. The schools, which provided the highest number of
cards Business (N=253), Healthcare Sciences (N=236) and Law and Politics (N=207).
Table 1: Showing total number of respondents by school with proportions*.
*= Assuming each card is provided by a different student; **= 2015/16 figures. All other data provided uses 2016/17 University intake data
(December 2016).
The data in table 1 shows that the largest number of cards was provided by the College of Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences (N=1,052); followed by the College of Biomedical and Life
Sciences (N=899), and the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering (N=480).
College School Total Number of Cards
Proportion of total school (%)
College of Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences
Business 253 6
English, Communication and Philosophy
151 12
Geography and Planning 63 7*
History, Archaeology and Religion 122 10
Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
72 8
Law and Politics 207 10
Modern Languages 51 8
Music 15 5
Social Sciences 91 4
Welsh 27 20
College Total 1,052 7
College of Biomedical
and Life Sciences
Biosciences 186 11
Dentistry 49 9
Healthcare Sciences 236 8
Medicine 191 6
Optometry and Vision Sciences 30 5
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
90 12
Psychology 117 11
College Total 899 8
College of Physical
Sciences and Engineering
Architecture 35 6
Chemistry 84 10
Computer Science and Informatics 91 11
Earth and Ocean Sciences 28 4
Engineering 156 7
Mathematics 40 5
Physics and Astronomy 46 10
College Total 480 8
Findings
The data provided on each speak week card was inputted into analysis software and coded using a
preliminary coding framework. Summary data presenting the output from initial coding is provided
in table 2. This shows that the most frequently discussed themes referenced were ‘Learning and
Teaching’ (N=1,345), ‘Catering and Commercial Outlets’ (N=820), ‘Buildings, Facilities, and
Maintenance (N=712), ‘Assessment and Feedback’ (N=626), and ‘Students’ Union’ (N=505).
Table 2: Showing total references by main theme.
The 2017 data has not been compared with the data obtained during Speak Week 2016 where
comparable data is available. This is because comparable data may not be available for all themes,
as different coding was used in both years. Even where data is theoretically comparable, key
changes have been made to the coding framework, which is a limitation of such a comparison.
Theme Number of References
Learning and Teaching 1,174
Catering and Commercial Outlets 820
Buildings, Facilities, and Maintenance 691
Students’ Union 630
Assessment & Feedback 487
Learning Resources 436
Libraries 426
Printing 331
Sports 224
Other 219
Heath Park 182
General Positive Comments 175
Accommodation 153
Fees and Funding 153
Careers, Study Abroad and Employability 152
Transport 139
Parking 99
Student Support 88
Societies 75
Faith and Religion 68
Organisation, Management and Communication 64
Environment 52
Welsh Language Provision 25
Mentoring 11
SSP 11
Total 6,885
Below more in-depth analysis is provided on each of the main themes, which discusses the key
sub-themes that emerged from responses referencing the main themes.
Learning and Teaching
The theme, which received the highest number of references was ‘learning and teaching (N=1,174)
with a large number of sub-themes listed in table 3.
Table 3: Showing sub-themes for ‘learning and teaching’ with number of references.
The largest number of references discussed timetabling (N=346), with an abundance of further
sub-themes encompassed within this sub-theme. These were:
Starting and Finishing Times (N=59).
Condensed and Efficient Timetables (N=57).
More Contact Hours (N=32).
Online Timetable (N=31).
Better Room Choices (N=25).
Better Organisation, Communication, and Provision of Timetables (N=21).
Lecture Length (N=16).
Lunchtime Timetabling (N=8).
No Wednesday Lectures (N=8).
Students generally expressed a desire to have their timetable begin later in the day and for it to end
later as a consequence; with a total of 32 responses requesting a reduction, or removal, of 9am
lectures. Examples of students wishing to have a timetable beginning later in the day, include:
“Start all lectures later and seminars later e.g. 11am and then finish later e.g. by 6pm”.
Theme Total references
Timetabling (Organisation of Lectures and/or Seminars) 346
Lecture Capture 200
Mode of Teaching and Learning 118
Standard and Quality of Teaching 117
Academic Support 111
Modules 88
Personal Tutor 73
Class Sizes 27
Reading Week 23
Research-related 21
Languages (Including Languages For All) 15
Past Paper or Assessment Material 14
English Language 12
More Lecture Notes 9
“University should start later and end later. It’s better for lectures to start later and turn up rather than students missing
important lectures”.
However, this view was not shared among all responses coded in this sub-theme. Another student
showed how later classes is not the preference for all:
“Overall, the course is well run but I would like to see an improvement in the seminar times for education (6-8pm) is too
late. Perhaps they could be later in the week”.
Alongside this sub-theme, ‘Condensed and Efficient Timetable’ (N=57) received a relatively high
number of references. The vast majority (N=43) of these responses demonstrated a desire for a
more condensed timetable. An example of such responses is:
“For the timetable to have more reasonable gaps, rather than the 5 hour gaps we currently have been lectures”.
“Make timetables more compact so instead of being present everyday for 2 hrs, make lecture into 3 or 4 days for all”.
Although not all students wished to have more intensive days, with longer hours. For example:
“Leave longer gaps between lectures so they aren’t constantly after each other”.
Many references also focused on calling for a greater amount of contact hours (N=32). For
example:
“Not enough contact/support hours, and lectures often cancelled and not communicated well”.
“More contact hours in regards to subjects with only one 50 minute tutorial every two weeks”.
Lastly, closely following this is ‘Online Timetable’, which received 32 total responses. These
responses mainly expressed a desire to have online timetabling services widened, as well as
improving the existing provision of this service. For example, students wrote:
“LC needs to be updated - MyTimetable app isn’t good enough”.
“My timetable - often incorrect and causing organisational and logistic difficulties”.
Aside from timetabling issues, calls for ‘Lecture Capture’ to be extended also featured prominently
(N=200). Examples of these open-comment responses, include:
“Mandatory lecture recording in business school (only 2nd and 3rd years). Very easy to do, invaluable revision tool. Notes
dont capture all”.
“All lectures should be recorded as lectures provides more detail than what is on the slide and it’s hard to keep up”.
“Lectures recorded and put up on learning central with the PowerPoint presentation. Ours never seem to get published
on learning central until ages after the lecture was given, by which time you have forgotten about that and moved onto
learning about something else”.
An important point to make before proceeding onto the next theme is that many responses did cite
their positive learning and teaching experience, despite a large number of issues regarding this
area of the University experience being provided. Examples of such comments are provided below:
“Great course and teachers”.
“Seminar tutors as well as lecturers are very helpful when you don’t understand a certain topic”.
“Love my course and the way it is taught”.
Therefore, although there are many issues and concerns held by students related to ‘Learning and
Teaching’, there are also pockets of excellence acknowledged within the Speak Week comments.
Catering and Commercial Outlets
Encompassing multiple sub-themes, this theme was among the most cited themes (N=820)
among student Speak Week responses. The sub-themes for this theme were:
Reduce Price of Food and Drink (N=299).
More Choice or Diversity in Food and Drink Options (N=134).
More Catering Facilities for Example Microwaves, Kettles and Coffee Making Facilities
(N=115).
Additional Outlets (N=58).
Improve Quality of Food and Drink (N=32).
Later Opening Hours (N=29).
More Healthy Options (N=29).
Size of Cafes and Facilities (N=19).
The TAF (N=15).
Cost of Learning Resources (N=6).
The most cited sub-theme for ‘Catering and Commercial Outlets’ was ‘Reduce Price of Food and
Drink’ (N=299). Students expressed that outlets within the University and Students’ Union did not
have student-friendly prices – for instance, one student wrote “more student friendly prices in the
café”, whilst another stated “more reasonable prices in the café”. Although there were many other
sub-themes encompassed by the larger ‘Catering and Commercial Outlets’, this sub-theme shows
that a significant number of responses cited the expensive pricing of food and drink, as a key area
of desired changed for students.
There was also much cross-over between this sub-theme and other sub-themes, such as ‘More
Healthy Options’ sub-theme and ‘More Choice or Diversity in Food and Drink Options’. For example:
“healthy food should be cheaper”, “cheaper/wider variety of food on offer in the student cafes”,
and “try and have better and cheaper meal deals in the SU food outlets”. Thus, although students
chiefly cited the high price of food and their desire to reduce prices, they did also cite other sub-
themes in relation to this; showing that other sub-themes are also important.
Additionally, the ‘More Choice or Diversity in Food and Drink Options’ was a popular sub-theme
independently from other sub-themes (N=134). Students referenced a preference for a greater
level of choice in food and drink available to them as a way through which their experience could be
improved. Furthermore, many students cited this on religious grounds. For example, one student
stated:
“Unfortunately lunches are often a problem due to the lack of halal food (preferably halal sandwiches)”.
Although, when stating this, a different student did recognise that, in some schools, this was
delivered:
“Larger range of Halal food in Engineering Cafe (but Cafeteria usually is quite good in this aspect)”.
Alongside religious grounds, other students called for greater amounts of choice for those with
selective diets, such as vegetarian choices and/or vegan diets. For instance: “more options for
vegans”, “vegan food options”, and “gluten free and dairy free food choices widened”.
‘More Catering Facilities, For Example Microwaves, Kettles and Coffee Making Facilities’ was also a
highly cited sub-theme (N=115). Students largely wished for a greater amount of facilities, such as
microwaves and kettles, so too enable them to use these whilst working and studying. Examples of
such comments, include:
“I would offer facilities for students to enable them to heat their lunches brought from home (microwaves/kettles)”.
“Kettles and microwaves made available to undergraduates in separate schools”.
“Cooking/heating food facilities in music department for students, due to long rehearsals and late evenings”.
Buildings, Facilities, and Maintenance
In total, 691 references were provided for this theme. These comments led to multiple sub-themes,
which are presented in table 4 along with the total references for each. Although a large amount of
topics were discussed in the open-comments, the key sub-themes present in the data have been
included in this report.
Table 4: Displaying sub-themes for ‘Building, Facilities and Maintenance’ with total references.
As table 4 shows, there were comments across multiple themes and topics, with the three most
popular themes being ‘More Water Fountains’ (N=108), ‘Toilets’ (N=91) and ‘General Utilities
Issues’ (N=88).
Evidently, those comments coded into ‘More Water Fountains’ expressed a desire to be provided
with a larger number of water fountains around University campuses. Whilst they are already
provided, this clearly shows that students would like to have a greater amount of fresh water
provided to them in University buildings. Examples of these comments, include:
“Drinking fountain in dental hospital as there is nowhere to fill up my bottles”.
“Water fountains in psych tower would be great!”.
One student even believed that providing water dispensers would be beneficial for their learning
and University experience:
“The supply of free drinking water should be increased. It is scientifically proven that increased hydration helps to improve
concentration and therefore performance”.
However, those comments referencing ‘Toilets’ discussed different sub-themes, including
Theme Total references
More Water Fountains 108
Toilets 91
General Utilities Issues 88
More Working Plug Sockets 68
Renovation or Upgrade 45
Lecture Theatres and Classrooms 35
Additional Social Spaces 16
Bins 6
Provide Warm or Hot Water 5
requesting additional toilet facilities, larger existing toilet facilities, enhancing the cleanliness of
toilet facilities around the University and ensuring that an adequate amount of facilities are
provided on busy events, such as Wednesday nights at the Students’ Union. Examples of such
comments, include: “need more toilets!!”, “renovate toilets”, “better toilets”, “better bathrooms”,
“better, cleaner toilet facilities”, “larger toilets to reduce the queues” and “more girls toilets in the
SU for Wednesday and Friday night”.
Close to this sub-theme was the ‘General Utilities Issues’ sub-theme. This sub-theme was further
coded into two separate sub-themes: ‘Air Conditioning’ (N=10) and ‘Heating’ (N=78). Responses
provided by students commonly complained of the poor temperature of University buildings and
rooms, such as lecture theatres being too cold or hot. For example:
“Some of the lecture rooms are too cold. Make it difficult to concentrate on lectures”.
“Heating in the weekends. Given the amount we pay (£18,000 for internationals) and the amount we are expected to
work, we expect at the very least to have heating provided in the offices during the weekends”.
“Lecture theatre temperatures need to be suitable for comfortable learning”.
As previously stated, students also raised concerns regarding the ventilation system’s in University
buildings and the air conditioning system. For instance:
“The study break out rooms in the library and postgraduate centre (Law) are poorly ventilated and often smell”.
“Study rooms in the post-grad centre in the law school are poorly ventilated”.
Students’ Union
A total of 630 references were provided, specifically for ‘Students’ Union’. Table 4 presents the sub-
themes for this theme.
Table 4: Showing sub-themes for ‘Students’ Union’ with total number of references.
As table 4 illustrates the most popular sub-theme relating to ‘Students’ Union’ was ‘Nightclub
Events’ (N=180)., with the following additional sub-themes emerging from such responses:
Improving security, Overcrowding, and Queue Systems (N=42).
Additional or Cleaner Toilets (N=38).
Free or Cheaper Entry (N=31).
Reduce Price of Drinks (N=29).
More Varied Music (N=11).
More Staff (N=7).
Alongside this sub-theme, ‘Shops and Outlets’ were also a relatively important (N=68) sub-theme
for ‘Students’ Union’. Of these comments, the following sub-themes were discussed:
Student Friendly Prices (N=27).
Additional Outlets (N=17).
Additional Seating and Eating Space (N=14).
Yolo App (N=5).
Data showed that students expressed a strong desire to see an increase in student-friendly pricing
present within establishment in the Students’ Union. Moreover, students also provided useful
suggestions of what additional outlets the Students’ Union may wish to consider in the future. For
example, many students suggested a pharmacy; while many others wished to see the Post Office
remain within the Students’ Union.
Theme Total references
Nightclub Events 180
Ideas for New Events 99
Shops and Outlets 68
Positive Comments 48
Students Social and/or Learning Space 34
SU Politics and Democracy 27
Student Media 18
More Animal Events 12
Through the open-comments, students also expressed a desire to have a greater number of events
and activities provided by the Students’ Union (N=99), while also providing examples of what types
of events they would like to see a greater quantity of. Examples of such events, included more non-
alcoholic events, course-specific social events to promote further socialisation, and more events for
international students. For instance:
“I would organise less alcoholic events in the union. I think too much money is spent on providing students with "drinking
infrastructure". Parties are so anti-social, the union needs more social space, not a massive club in the middle”.
“More activities: for international students including: trips in/out Cardiff, culture courses in the SU”.
“Also less of a focus on drinking events would be nice! That’s what makes money but it can be alienating”.
“More cultural festivals/international movie nights/events in the SU itself”.
“Create and run events and trips around the UK and the world to satisfy all students. Be creative by organising musicals,
groups work is really important and the chance to build trust and create new friendships shouldn’t be missed”.
Lastly, it is important to present some of the positive comments provided regarding student
experiences of the Students’ Union. A relatively high number were provided during Speak Week
(N=48). For example:
“Amazing SU staff!”.
“SU is versatile and has everything we can think of”.
“The students' union is one of the best parts of Cardiff Uni, well done!”.
“I love the union! I literally live here! I use all the facilities especially the lounge. It has made my time at Cardiff Uni the
best. Thank you to all the staff/people that make it so great”.
One students, who had previously studied in the United States wrote that they felt their experience
of the Students’ Union was better whilst at Cardiff:
“Best SU I’ve been too! Beats san Francisco state unis SU!”.
Therefore, although students did indicate how the Students’ Union could be improved, they did also
show an appreciation for many of the positive elements of the Students’ Union (N=48). Thus,
demonstrating that, though improvements can always be made, the Students’ Union is performing
well.
Assessment and Feedback
Of those comments coded into this theme (N=487), coding was initially organised into one of three
codes: ‘Assessment’, ‘Feedback’, or ‘Extenuating Circumstances’. The comments were then
analysed further and coded into more specific sub-themes. Table 3 shows the sub-themes for each
of these main themes, however extenuating circumstances did not receive a high enough number
of references (N=11).
Table 3: Showing sub-themes for Assessment and Feedback themes with total number of
references.
The most frequently referenced sub-theme was ‘Timetable’ (N=133), with slightly under half of
these discussing the ‘Earlier Release of Exam Timetables’ (N=50). Related to this, ‘Bunching’ was
the next most cited sub-theme (N=62); meaning students expressed dissatisfaction with the level
off assessment in a small amount of time. Following this, ‘Improve Feedback Provided’ (N=43),
‘More Feedback’ (N=26), ‘Change Method of Assessment’ (N=25) and ‘Enhanced Guidance and
Preparation on Assessment’ (N=25) were referenced relatively highly.
Examples of comments coded under the ‘Timetabling’ theme, which cited the ‘Earlier Release of
Timetables’ include: “the time taken to release exam results is too long”, “Release exam timetables
further in advance”, “publish exam dates earlier”, and “release exam timetables earlier than 4
weeks before”. Moreover, one student referred to a lack of fairness in timetabling between different
courses:
Theme Total number of references
Assessment Timetable 133
Bunching 62
Change Method of Assessment 25
Enhanced Guidance and Preparation on Assessment
25
Amount of Assessment 19
Submission 19
Weighting 16
Mark Schemes and Marking 12
Past Papers 9
Break After Exams 4
Errors in Examination 4
Feedback Improve Feedback Provided 43
More Feedback 26
Quicker Feedback 15
Provide Exam Scripts with Feedback 5
“Exam timetables need to be looked at for fairness across degrees – I have had many exams in a few days at the start of
an exam period, when other courses had one exam a week”.
Linked to this is the second most referenced sub-theme: ‘Bunching’. While discussing this theme,
students stated:
“I didn’t like the layout of last term. Too many deadlines too close together”.
“Deadlines just too close to each other and this is killing me”.
“Space out assessments more not everything in 2nd term”.
The third most frequently discussed sub-theme for ‘Assessment and Feedback’ is ‘Improve
Feedback Provided’ (N=43). Of these comments, over a third (N=15) expressed a desire to receive
personalised feedback and 1-to-1 feedback. An illustration of such comments is:
“More personal feedback for exams after results - exam paper or a copy should be returned to see where we could
improve”.
Although ‘Extenuating Circumstances’ received a relatively low number of references, it is still
important to mention key comments emerging from the comments provided. Students expressed
a desire to have an improved system. For example: “Better support regarding extenuating
circumstances”, with this being cited as positive for those with mental health:
“Better extenuating circumstances for mental health”.
Learning Resources
Learning resources received a very large number of references (N=436) relative to other themes.
For this theme, the ‘IT’ sub-theme featured prominently (N=279), with this sub-theme justifiably
coded further into the following sub-themes:
Learning Central and Intranet (N=85).
Improve Wi-Fi network (N=79).
Better and additional computers (N=55).
More Access to Online Resources (N=11).
For the ‘Learning Central and Intranet’ sub-theme, over half (N=44) of all responses coded into this
sub-theme requested for online resources to be improved. For example, one student wrote:
“Revise learning central and make it less cluttered and easier to understand”.
While 11 open-comments expressed that the addition of a search bar on learning central would be
a very useful change. Despite this desire for some changes to the online systems, positive
comments were provided in relation to these systems. An example of such comments is:
“Keep learning central going, literally saved my grades”.
Thus, although subtle changes have been requested by students to improve Learning Central and
the Intranet, students do highly value the online learning resources available to them at Cardiff
University.
Featuring slightly less was the ‘Improve Wi-Fi Network’ sub-theme (N=79). Examples of such
responses include:
“Better wifi signal - eduroam tends to be down too often”.
“Wifi still needs considerable improvement in Tower building and Sir Martin Evans building. It is extremely patchy and
intermittent”.
Such issues in accessing Wi-Fi are also experienced by students whilst outside of University
buildings, for example, one student wrote:
“Also eduroam is really bad, can never connect to it. Especially in Taly north”.
These issues in accessing the University Wi-Fi, according to one student, could be detrimental for
student assignments:
“Also, internet network somehow works slow on some period of time. This could be a problem for students when they
have to work on their assignments”.
Therefore, this section demonstrates that although students are very pleased with the current
provision of learning resources provided by the University, there is still many improvements to be
made to ensure that the student experience is maximised.
Libraries
This theme received a relatively high number of references (N=426), which cited several sub-
themes. Table 6 details these sub-themes and the total number of references for each sub-theme.
Table 6: Showing sub-themes for ‘Libraries’ theme with total number of references for each sub-
theme.
The most frequently cited sub-theme for this theme was ’24-Hour Library and/or Longer Opening
Hours’ (N=117). Many responses coded into this sub-theme expressed positive comments towards
previous changes to library opening hours; making the ASSL 24-hours, for instance “love that ASSL
is 24/7” and “24 hours library is great”. However, many students wished to see this expanded to
other University libraries. For example, “make the libraries 24 hours” and “more 24hr libraries”.
Though, many students requested that opening hours were longer, not particularly 24-hours-per-
day. For example, some students wished for longer weekend hours:
“Maths library open on Sundays”.
“Open the Biomedical Science library on a Saturday”.
“Have ALL the libraries open in the evenings at weekends, not just ASSL (e,g, beyond 5:30pm)”.
Student responses also cited ‘More Working Space’ highly (N=98), with a total of 12 of these
specifically requesting additional group study and social study areas. Examples of responses
provided in this sub-theme, include:
“More working space generally”.
“More places to study in the medical library”.
“More library/study space in BIOSCI”.
Theme Total references
24-Hour Library and/or Longer Opening Hours 117
More Working Space 98
Access to Books and Resources 58
Food and Drink Facilities in Library 30
Renovation or Updating of Library 21
Loan System 13
Library Staff 9
Stricter Enforcement of Quiet Area Restrictions 5
“More group study rooms”.
“We need more quiet working areas and places to talk - collaborative learning areas during exams everywhere was
busy”.
“Rearrange the Trevithick library to increase individual study space, ideally without losing the group space”.
In addition, students also discussed that a useful policy would be to provide additional study space
during highly congested times, such as examination period and revision periods because “when it’s
busy it’s impossible to get a seat”. For example:
“During exam period areas of the SU where students could work would be useful. When exams are on all the libraries are
full and the SU provides a good space with plug sockets and food outlets”.
“More space in the library when it comes to exam time. My course does not have January exams but have 4-5 pieces of
CW and a diss to hand in so being in the library is important”.
Furthermore, another sub-theme frequently referenced in the open-comments analysed was
‘Access to Books and Resources’ (N=58). Along with a general demand for more resources
available to students in libraries, students also commonly expressed that a greater number of core
texts and reading – which is expected to be completed as part of their studies – should be provided
in University libraries. Moreover students felt that popular books, which may include core texts for
courses, should be provided in larger quantities. Examples of such responses include:
“Better access to books on the compulsory reading list as they currently cost £200+ to buy. This is alot of money to spend
as a student”.
“More of the most used textbooks in the library e.g. anatomy, physiology, pharmacology”.
“Better accessibility to texts - I currently study a module where one book is for too expensive to buy, the library (ASSL) only
has one copy, and Blackwell’s ran out of copies despite knowing the number of students on the module”.
One possible remedy for this is too provide a greater number of learning resources electronically.
Students were also found to express a desire for greater electronic reading material. For example:
“Easier access to online literature, some are only available in books which only few copies between many students”.
“More copies of the same book in the library or make books accessible online”.
“Some books should be kept in library or online access so we can use the more popular ones whenever we want”.
Importantly, students also referenced the ‘food and drink facilities in library’ sub-theme relatively
highly, which also provides useful comments related to the ‘Catering and Commercial’ theme.
Printing
A total of 331 individual references were coded into this theme, with the vast majority
(N=301) concerning the price of printing. Examples of these comments, expressing a
desire for cheaper printing charges, include:
“Cheaper printing”.
“Free printing at all university libraries”.
“Free printing - stop developing SU/spending millions on building new hub and spend on practical things”.
“Printing prices is also expensive - we have to read many articles. If I want to print them, I have to pay
more than £50 per month”.
To remedy this, some students believed that the University should provide an allowance
or budget for each student for printing purposes. For example:
“Printing budget at start of year for each student - then they pay extra for more printing”.
“It would be helpful to be given certain allowance/credit to our printing account, which we can add to ourselves if we use
it up”.
While other students, whose subjects require physical submissions of assessment, requested
specialised services:
“Give free printing for dissertation”.
“A certain amount of free printer credit for degrees that involve printing documents for the course”.
“Make printing free or at least give credit to those subjects/modules with required printing e.g. creative writing, all the
BAs who have physical hand-ins”.
“Printing credit for law students printing off cases (some are 100+ pages long)”.
Sports
During Speak Week students provided 224 open-comments on topics relevant to their experience
of University sports. Table 6 provides a display of the various sub-themes for this and the total
number of references for each.
Table 6: Showing sub-themes for ‘Sports’ and total references.
The most frequented topic discussed in relation to University sports was ‘More Facilities or Update
Facilities’ which does suggest that students wish to see University sports provision expanded;
implying a positive sentiment felt toward the existing provision but a desire for a greater, more
updated level of facilities. A number of suggestions were provided for what additional or new
facilities could be provided, including a new astro-turf, swimming pool and sports and conditioning
centre. Alongside this, increasing the size of existing facilities, such as the gym and 3G pitch was
also requested by students during Speak Week. However, other sporting clubs also featured, such
as Dance Sport, where one student requested:
“More practice spaces for dance societies”.
Of the 47 responses coded into the ‘Membership and Cost of Sport’ sub-theme, over half (N=26)
cited reducing the price of University sport and memberships, while slightly less than a third (N=12)
asked for different types of membership to be provided, such as monthly memberships.
As table 6 illustrates, many responses (N=21) also referred to the funding of University sport.
These comments varied from referring to increasing funding for specific sporting clubs to general
comments regarding AU sport. For example, one student wrote, “more funding for AU clubs”.
However, several comments raised concerns regarding the possible preferential treatment of
certain sporting clubs. An example of such a comment is:
“Reduce preferential treatment of the rugby team in the AU”.
Theme Total references
More Facilities or Update Facilities 79
Membership and Cost of Sport 47
Sports Funding 22
Gym Times 11
Varsity 10
Social Sporting Events 3
With another student recommending:
“AU budgets should be representative of how much the club contributes to them and not just due to BUCS”.
Therefore, these comments suggest that students wish to have greater access to sporting facilities
whilst attending University, with possible ways of ensuring this, including: reducing the price of sport
and providing greater sporting facilities.
Heath Park
Due to the importance of obtaining specific feedback relevant to the Heath Park campus, a
separate theme was created so too enable all feedback specifically related to Heath Park site to be
collated in one area. All comments coded within this theme specifically cited the Heath Campus.
Though, it is important to note that, along with this theme, all other themes may bare relevance to
the Heath campus students.
A total of 182 comments were provided about the Heath Campus, which drew upon several
themes. These were:
IV Lounge (N=70).
Heath Students’ Union (N=33).
Improved Common Rooms (N=17).
Heath Parking (N=15).
More Facilities and Services at Heath (N=10).
For students at the Heath the ‘IV Lounge’ was an important topic of discussion in Speak Week
responses, with over a third of all (N=70) ‘Heath Park’ responses coded into this sub-theme. Many
comments coded into this sub-theme are actually included in many other sub-themes. For
instance, many students raised issues regarding the high price of food in the IV lounge, which has
been coded into the ‘Catering and Commercial’ theme (see page 12).
Though, other, more specific responses relevant to the Heath Park cohort in this sub-theme
discussed the limited seating within the IV lounge, the cleanliness of the IV lounge, and a desire to
renovate and/or update the IV lounge. For example:
“Cleaner IV lounge”.
“Bigger seating areas at lunch it gets very busy in IV lounge”.
“Also the IV cafe is too small and queues are huge no you opened the whole break queuing for a coffee. IT needs to be
bigger to match the large number of healthcare students here!”.
“IV lounge isn’t big enough for the number of healthcare students”.
“A bigger common area - the IV lounge isn’t big enough and the student common rooms are always full”.
Additionally, students also raised concerns with the lack of Students’ Union activities offered at the
Heath. Students felt that societies and sports clubs should have a greater presence at the Heath
campus. For example:
“More space for the SU at the Heath Park”.
“Do more things on heath campus combine more societies and things here”.
Indeed, one student wrote that they did not receive the full information regarding the clubs on offer
at the Students’ Union:
“The information fayre at the start of the year was terrible. I expected sports representatives and people from many SU
societies. Instead there were only about 3 stalls cramped near a wall. I started university in March and although i am
aware that it is half way through the academic year I thought I would be able to have joined a society”.
Likewise, a student within the March cohort at the Heath expressed similar views:
“As a part of March cohort for nursing I feel we as a cohort were forgotten about with regards to sports, clubs and
organisations. Maybe more of an effort can be made to rectify this for future march cohorts”.
Such sentiments led one student to recommend that a separate student body should be
established at the Heath Park campus:
“Increase involvement of the student union with the heath campus - separate healthcare student body perhaps?”.
Akin to the calls for a greater Students’ Union presence, students also desired an improved
common room facilities at the Heath campus (N=17). Examples of responses stating this, include:
“Student common room too small”.
“A bigger common area - the IV lounge isn’t big enough and the student common rooms are always full”.
Aside from Students’ Union services, students also requested for a greater presence of University
services, such as student support, to be provided at the Heath. For instance, one student wrote:
“Improve student support at Heath”.
Thus, as part of a greater provision of Students’ Union facilities, Heath Park students also
recommend an improved level of common room facilities at the Heath Park campus. In addition to
general logistical updating, Heath Park students also requested additional facilities, such as “more
microwaves available for people to use in common room” and “more kettles”.
Parking issues, both car and bike parking, were also voiced frequently by those students
specifically citing Heath Park (N=15). However, this number may be larger than presented, as many
students did complain about the difficulty faced when parking, but did not specify where their
concern was related to, for instance Cathays or Heath Park. Nonetheless, parking issues were a
commonality amongst students, in particular those at Heath Park.
Accommodation
A total of 153 references were coded into the ‘Accommodation’ theme. The emergent sub-themes
from these comments were:
Refurbish, Update or Improve Student Residences (N=24).
Additional Facilities (N=16).
Price of Accommodation (N=14).
Price of Laundry (N=12).
More Advice and Help (N=11).
Laundry System (N=9).
Engagement with Private Sector (N=6).
Location (N=5).
Examples of comments citing ‘Refurbish, Update or Improve Student Residences’, included:
“All Talybont north houses should be refurbished as people pay the same amount for old flats as the people who have
newer flats”.
“Renovate Taly north and south – unacceptable decor for the rent charged”.
For ‘Additional Facilities’ a wide range of suggestions were provided, from improving the Wi-Fi
available in university accommodation, “More Printing Points at Halls of Residences” and
additional washing machine facilities. Following this, were both ‘Price of Accommodation’ (N=14)
and “Price of Laundry’ (N=12). Students expressed a dissatisfaction at the standard of the
accommodation and the total price paid for this. However, this was not merely reserved for halls of
residences’, as students generally stated “Cheaper Accommodation” and “Make Accommodation
Cheaper”. For ‘Price of Laundry’, students believed that the price of laundry at halls of residence
was too expensive, with “Cheaper Laundry” being a common response provided.
Fees and Funding
In total, 153 responses were coded into this theme. Table 5 outlines the sub-themes used for this
theme alongside displaying the total number of references for each sub-theme.
Table 5: Showing sub-themes for ‘Fees and Funding’ and total number of references by sub-theme.
Students expressed dissatisfaction with the current cost of tuition fees at the University, with
almost a third (N=42) of all responses stating a desire for lower tuition fees. Whilst some students
merely stated “Lower Tuition Fees”, many requested a return to free tuition at the University. These
comments were not merely the preserve of undergraduates, as postgraduate tuition fees were also
discussed. Indeed, one student explained how the cost of tuition fees for such courses is a factor,
which may deter some students:
“Make post-graduate course cheaper. Sometimes it put people off from studying further because of the thought of debt”.
Alongside raising concerns regarding the high tuition fees, students also wished to be provided with
greater information for how tuition fees are spent (N=7). For instance:
“Give people a breakdown of the budget to demonstrate where their money is going (tuition fees)”.
Thus, although students expressed negative sentiments towards the financial cost of University
study, they also wished for greater transparency, in terms of how their tuition fee is spent.
Following this, a relatively high number of students (N=21) felt that a greater amount of financial
support should be available, such as bursaries and grants. Examples of such comments, included:
Theme Total references
Lower Tuition Fees 42
More Financial Support Available 21
Placement Cost 10
Better Transparency of Fees 7
Lower International Student Fees 7
Increased Funding for Student Support 5
Increased Information on Funding Available to Students 4
More Dyslexia Funding 2
“More busaries available to students (both domestic and international) not just lower income!”.
“Scholarships should be available for all the courses, years regardless whether you are an international student or home
one”.
“More funding/scholarships/studentships for MSC and PhD students”.
Furthermore, an additional sub-theme, which received a relatively modest level of references was
‘Placement Cost’ (N=10). Comments coded into this sub-theme discussed issues surrounding
costs of attending placement and how additional funding should be provided to support basic
support mechanisms for placement students. One student wrote:
“The medical school does not pay for petrol expenses so a cost running into hundreds of pounds (this year to date I have
spent £250+ on fuel)”.
While three individual comments referred to issues faced in acquiring financial support for
international students on placement. For example:
“Republic of Ireland students don’t get any bursary/grant for travel expenses for clinical placement”.
Therefore, this section illustrates that students have many concerns related to University fees and
available funding. Many students wish to see tuition fees reduced or remedied with a greater level
of financial support for students. Alongside this, students also wished to be provided with a greater
level of information regarding how their fees are spent by the University.
Careers, Study Abroad and Employability
A total of 154 individual comments were provided for this theme, with key emergent themes being:
More Opportunities (N=43).
Greater Help and Support (N=27).
Study Abroad (N=11).
Find Out Placements Sooner (N=10).
During speak week students were found to express a desire to have more career, study abroad,
and/or employability opportunities. Slightly under a third of all responses for this theme discussed
this directly. For instance, one student wrote “create more opportunities for all schools”. Another student
recommended that the University:
“Promote a series of internships inside university during term times, so people can gain experience in their fields of work
in parallel with their studies”.
These comments were provided by both undergraduates and postgraduates also, for example:
“Offer more job information for the postgrad students”.
“Offer recruitment opportunities to Postgrads (i.e. exhibiting at conferences, visits to other universities, etc), as this
benefits both the students and the university”.
Despite such comments, some students did show positive sentiments towards the existing
opportunities available to students:
“The range of opportunities to increase employability is fantastic :)”.
Alongside this sub-theme, students also spoke of their desire for ‘Greater Help and Support’. For
example, in building and enhancing CV’s. Examples of responses provided in this theme, included:
“Better advice for after uni (that’s not good grad schemes) e.g. placements/internships/travel advice”.
“Provide support or advice on getting a job or uni for international students, especially those who wish to stay”.
“Need more career stands and advice for employment when graduating!!”.
Although, one student expressed that the support and information provided to them was very
good, while the issue for them was the lack of opportunities:
“Placement would be good? We get lots of information on careers but not much chance for experience”.
Environment
Many students were found to have discussed the environment and issues regarding the treatment
of the environment surrounding the University. In total, 52 references were provided for this sub-
theme. Some students suggested possible means of becoming a more environmentally-friendly
University and Students’ Union, such as:
“Half-price coffee if you bring your own cup (encourage recycling)”.
“No bottled water for meetings (jugs and cups)”.
The sub-themes, which emerged from open-comments responses in this category were:
Coffee Cups (N=9).
More Recycling Points (N=6).
Greater Efforts by the University (N=5).
Less Paper Handouts (N=5).
Many students were keen to express their desire to see reusable coffee cups promoted within
University buildings and the Students’ Union. For example:
“Please put recyclable coffee cups and other food packing in the university cafes!”.
Lastly, a total of 5 responses referred to the need for the University to do more, environmentally, on
behalf of its student population. A possible route to achieve this would be to increase the number
of recycling points (N=6) or reduce the amount of paper handouts provided to students, instead
provided electronic learning resources. However, many other students have also requested a
greater level of paper resources, such as handouts. For example, one students opposed this,
alternatively stating:
“Change paperless policy in the business school - free handouts is essential”.
Welsh Language Provision
Students provided very useful comments (N=25) regarding the University’s Welsh language
provision. Over two-thirds (N=17) referred specifically to the greater use of Welsh language
throughout the University in various capacities, such as on courses and using more signs.
Examples of such open-comments, included:
“More Welsh language events/nights”.
“The ability to study any subject through the medium of Welsh”.
Despite such comments, one student referred to the positive performance of the Students’ Union
in delivering upon Welsh language provision objectives:
“I have been here for four years - I have to say that the standard of the SU has risen a lot (especially with the Welsh
Language!)”.
The data on ‘Welsh Language Provision’ does point to the positive steps being made by the
University and Students’ Union but does also clearly point to student calls for greater provision.
Removing the fluctuation between schools in the success of providing courses available for study
via the Welsh medium was also cited as a key way of achieving this.
Student Mentoring
As well as ‘Student-Staff Panel’, this theme received the fewest total references (N=11). Despite
this, these comments can still serve as a useful source to improve the current student mentoring
scheme. Whilst there were positive comments regarding the mentoring system, some students still
express a slight ambivalence toward it:
“Personal tutor and mentor scheme are working but I suggest to pick mentors more carefully”.
However, there were responses, which appeared to suggest that some students either were not
able to access the student mentoring system or were unaware of its existence. This is because they
requested the creation of a “’buddy’ sort of system”. Therefore an important future step to improve
the student mentoring system at the University would be to enhance the awareness of it and
ensure universality in its provision.
Student-Staff Panel (SSP)
A total of 11 open-comments were provided directly discussing the Student-Staff Panel, which
provided a range of responses. No stand-out topic emerged from the data, however students did
refer to a need for a greater number of SSP meetings, improving the student representative
system. For example, students wrote: “More SSP meetings” (N=2) and “better student rep system”.
The data also shows that students wish to have better engagement with their student
representatives, as some referred to their wish to have better communication systems in place, so
too enable improved communication with their representative. For example:
“Give student reps our email addresses. Otherwise how will they know who we are? I’ve only just met my rep, she didn’t
even know I was on her course!”.
What this response does suggest is that, currently, the student representative system requires
additional support, which can then enable for more needs to be done to enhance the engagement
between students and their fellow student representatives who represent them on SSP’s.
