Alice 'Axolotl' Robertson

Serious about student representation!

Serious about students getting the most out of their education!

Serious about axolotls!

Hello! I’m Alice Axolotl, a second-year BSc Marketing student, and I need your help to shape a year of my life by voting me number 1 for VP Education & Democracy. I have become very passionate about making a difference at UoS during my role as Course Rep in first year and current SUSU Trustee position. 

AI Usage Policies

AI technology has improved drastically over the last few years, and UoS has not released clear guidance or policies on the topic. Different courses and academics provide varying guidance to students, which has led to a lot of confusion about what can and can’t be done. Without clear policies provided by the university, this confusion will continue. 

Grow Awareness of Feedback Channels

There are many channels students can use to give feedback about the university, whether about their courses, events, or extracurricular activities - but these are underutilised. As VP of Education and Democracy, I would work to grow awareness of how feedback can be provided by students and why feedback is so important. Every student I’ve spoken to has an opinion about something on their course, but very few have expressed this feedback through the channels available. I want to increase the number of students making their voices heard.

Increase Guidance and Resources for Course Representatives

The course reps are a vital part of student representation. I believe the reps could reach more student voices with increased guidance and resources. Qualitative student-to-student feedback is some of the most valuable when it comes to improving modules and courses. 

I would also expand the feedback tracking across years. Some issues are expressed each year with no changes. It is important that the feedback students provide is acted upon. Tracking feedback year-on-year could help ensure the university is listening to the students' voices and taking action to improve courses and learning experiences. 

Investigate Differences in Attendance Motivations

Attendance of timetabled lessons and whether they should be recorded is a point of contention in many courses. I believe there are very different opinions between academics and students on the motivations for attending lessons. 

I would conduct research to identify reasons academic staff believe students do not attend lessons and compare this to the reasons students actually miss lessons. Identifying any incorrect motivational assumptions academic staff have around attendance and providing accurate reasons to the staff could guide clearer understanding and educational improvements.

Identify Actual Success Levels of SEAtS

The MyEngagement attendance tracking has had limited success, with many students experiencing errors in the SEAtS app. The tracking purpose of the system is made redundant with these errors.

I would implement sample groups of students across the faculties to feedback on the success and failure rates of the SEAtS app. Comparing the actual attendance with what is tracked could show the uni some of the ineffectiveness of the app, looking for change or removal of the system.