Student concerns and recommendations

We are working hard to understand the factors that lead to differential attainment and embed the resulting recommendations across our institution.

We have produced animations from the discussions we have had with our students, which you can watch below. These are followed by their recommendations to improve the experience and attainment of our students.

Students' concerns

Concerns of individual students

Kevin - software engineering student

Read a transcript of the animation about Kevin's concerns.

Kevin's recommendations

The University of Manchester can enhance my experience and attainment by enabling access to recorded lectures for students who are commuting and students with care responsibility, providing further bursaries, loans, and paid jobs for students commuting and having care responsibility, harmonising the teaching and marking practices across The University of Manchester, recruiting more staff, monitoring academic advisors’ performance, ensuring that students’ support services and events are well-coordinated, customised, and promoted more efficiently. Creating pastoral support network amongst academics within departments. Employing external audits of departments at The University of Manchester.

Leila - medical student

Read a transcript of the animation about Leila's concerns.

Leila's recommendations

The University of Manchester can enhance my experience and attainment by diversifying staff as well as students, organising Muslim women collectives/events, providing women’s only gym sessions, readjusting working time in Ramadan, allocating more praying spots across The University of Manchester, and delivering student-engaged cultural awareness training across the University.

Samantha - physics student

Read a transcript of the animation about Samantha's concerns.

Samantha's recommendations

The University of Manchester can enhance my experience and attainment by providing further bursaries, loans, and paid jobs for students from lower income background. By paying Widening Participation students’ stipend in the beginning and/or during the semester. By providing free collectives, societies, and events for students from lower income background. By making food and drinks cheaper on campus. By providing more diverse employment opportunities and more targeted advertisement for people less likely to gain work.

Mandy - placement student

Read a transcript of the animation about Mandy's concerns.

Mandy's recommendations

The University can adjust teaching and assessment practices for disabled students e.g., enabling access to recorded lectures, ensuring that the placements offered are with disability adjustment.