This big idea will see NTU staff take into consideration the premier society event when scheduling Thursday timetables

Voting for this Big Idea will help foster cohesion between NTSU and NTU and support the work hard play hard NTU lifestyle we love – VOTE NOW!  

1. The issue 2. The impacts 3. The status quo 4. Recommendations for change 5. Why is this better than the status quo? 6. Do students want this? (the sample suggests YES, it is your turn to vote!)

The issue

• Ocean events for NTU students run on Wednesday night

• Since many courses run a Thursday morning lecture series, often early on, there is an influence on students' participation and engagement in these lectures. 
• While individuals can choose, as adults, to not go out and party when they have responsibilities the next day, many societies main activity is Ocean Wednesdays and this has become part of NTU culture. This means there is tension for those who want to remain active in societies and attend their lectures. This affects the university, societies and students alike negatively

Students must choose between their place in a society, many of which have Ocean Wednesdays as their main social activity and early lectures/seminars. The schedule is late for the event so there isn't a compromise to leave early because they would not come out at all in this case. It is not likely that students will change their preference since involvement is still high in these societies and is part of the attraction to NTU for some and is embedded in the university culture, nationally recognised. All other days have lectures and Fridays are UoN Ocean nights so these cannot swap.

The impacts

• Many students arrive to lectures having had little sleep and hungover which influences their focus on the lecture or seminar. They may not arrive at all if they wake up late or are too ill or sleep deprived to attend. They may miss key information such as in Personal and Academic Development when deadlines have always been announced on a Thursday morning
• Lecturers observe unfocused students or low attendance which does not reflect uptake of the material, simply because of this event the night before and the consequences and this is unfair on them and does not reflect students' opinions of the course itself

The status quo

• Students are held responsible for their attendance and I suggest this status quo is fair. Yes, students are adults and have responsibility, but they are also young adults with a natural desire to socialise and have fun. This won’t change, so these impacts are here to stay unless something is changed
• Societies use Ocean Wednesday as their premier choice for activity and this is hugely popular
• Many lectures happen on a Thursday morning, with the rest of the day free

Recommendations for changes

One or more of:

• Lectures are moved later in the morning or to early afternoon

• Critical information re: exams etc is distributed on other days and explicitly shared after lecture via email – this is especially important in term 1 when students are learning how to navigate NOW
• Changes focus on seminars moving for PhDs/associate researchers who may have a more flexible schedule than full-time staff to avoid undue disruption of the current schedule and pressure on staff – an opt-in system could be used so staff do not have to move if they have a conflicting engagement
• Morning lectures are recorded to ensure content is available and widely accessible
• A statement is distributed to first years of the expectations surrounding their attendance after Ocean Wednesdays to give a clear message about what is expected of them and a request to society members to respect the choice of those who choose not to attend in favour of their lectures. This could provide a tool for those who want to take their attendance seriously but are experiencing peer pressure

Why is this better than the status quo?

• Students will be clear on their obligations to their course with this nuanced view on the relationship between societies and uni work and can decide for themselves whether they want to attend, but have the official line to refer to if they choose not to
• Students will be empowered to attend instead of going out, or can at least reduce the number of times they go out when they have lectures the next day to foster a balanced schedule
• The university will show it is in touch with what actually happens, and not just the idealistic view that students should not party. It will help foster more cohesion between student-led societies and the university and recognise students as adults with responsibilities but the nuanced understanding that they can also enjoy partying as adults as well as this is a core part of early adult social development
• Students will still be held responsible but have a bit more give so that their time between work and play is balanced. We would want to measure an uptake in attendance as a KPI of the change, and this could help increase student satisfaction rates climb even higher
• Avoid undue disruption to the current schedule but offer lecturers a more representative attendance record for their content
• Students who do go out have time to rest, recharge and detox so that they can regain their momentum and attend lectures a little later in the day. This will ultimately be better for their mental health as they will experience reduced guilt and conflicting feelings about their engagement with societies which they enjoy and with their course. This attitude is reflected in the negative feedback and poor attendance surrounding PAD I have recorded despite consistent praise for teaching and support. Having engaged with the module, I can see no other reason there would be feedback or attendance like this given its quality and reasonable assessment schedule

Do students want this?

A question around this issue asked yielded the highest and fastest turnout of response over any other piece of feedback from first year Economics students. This represents only a sample but in comparison is the premier issue students reflected on. Now it is an opportunity for the wider student body to show their support for this motion