Alice 'Axolotl' Robertson - Vice President Education

Serious about student representation.

Serious about students getting the most out of their education. 

Serious about axolotls!

Hello! I’m Alice Axolotl, a third-year BSc Marketing student who wants to help shape the education journey for all University of Southampton students! I need YOU to vote me your 1st choice for Vice President Education

I have become very passionate about making a difference at UoS during my roles with SUSU as a Course rep & Student Trustee, as well as during my work as a Student Ambassador & Peer Leader. (Have questions? Find me on instagram @aliceaxolotlsusu)

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 reps

The course representatives 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. 

Build stronger communication bridges between students and academics.

University is structured differently to prior education, and part of that is the change in how we are guided and taught by academics. I want to build stronger communication bridges to ensure we all get the most out of our interactions with the academics.

Lobby the University to create standards for assignment feedback detail.

Feedback has been a hot topic for many, with the breadth and depth of detail varying massively between faculties, schools, and even lecturers on the same subject. As feedback is key to us improving our work and identifying weaknesses, I believe the University needs to create standards that ensure feedback is treated with the care it needs to progress education to the fullest.

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 the 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 provding accurate reasons to the staff could guide clearer understanding and educational improvements.

Remember Alice Axolotl "1" for Vice President Education.