Exam diet – reminder of resources for students
As we begin the gentle run-up to the exam diet, we’ve had an increasing amount of contact from students in regard to anxiety and concerns around exams. As you will be aware, this is the first exam season for our level 2000 students in the School of Biology, and our level 3000 cohort will be feeling the strain of their first Honours-level exams.
With this in mind, can I ask that you take a moment to check that you know where to direct students if you’re concerned about them, or if they’re disclosing a disability that has not been reported to the University. It may also be worth reminding any demonstrators on your modules to flag up any concerns they have to you, as they may be approached by a student who is uncomfortable speaking directly to staff but finds PhD students more approachable.
a. If a student is reporting anxiety, excessive stress, or feeling generally overwhelmed, Student Services can offer appointments via video or audio calls depending on student preference (face-to-face meetings or Teams meetings may not be suitable for all students), and the Advice and Support Centre phone and email accounts are taking on extra staff to cover the pre-exam rush.
b. It may also help some students to revise with their peers or get out of their halls/homes for a while. A few modules have set up Channels on their Teams for students to find “study buddies” on their module. Please note that you are not required to help students arrange study groups but giving them a place where they can contact each other and arrange groups themselves may be helpful for students who prefer to work in groups. The following may also be useful to post on a Teams channel:
- “Students can be reminded that the ground floor of the Library is available for groups to meet, although 1 meter distancing needs to be observed and the library cannot guarantee that large groups would be able to find seats together. The first and second floor are for silent study but talking on the ground floor is permitted.
- The top floor of the Student’s Union has study spaces that can be accessed between 10:00 and 22:00.
- The Biology Hive has desks that can be booked for revision, although 1 meter distancing needs to be observed and students must be considerate of the other Hive users.
- There are PC classrooms in The Bute Building (24 hours), Butts Wynd (24 hours), the ground floor of the Gateway Building (Mon-Fri, 09:00-21:00), and PCs are available on multiple floors of the Library (prebook online, 08:00-00:00). Some PC classrooms permit quiet discussion whereas others are for silent working, so please be respectful of your fellow students.
c. If a student is reporting a disability, long-term condition or specific learning difference, and wishes to explore putting a support plan in place then they will need to discuss options with a Disability Adviser (contact [email protected]). However they may ask for accommodations from you directly. Module organisers should be able to see which students on their module have been flagged by the Disabilities Team on MMS (on the Disabilities tab at the top of the module page) and see whether the students already have a support plan in place. However if you can’t see the student on this tab, you may wish to contact [email protected] if you have any questions, or need specific guidance on accommodations. Alternatively, if you have queries about Year 1/Year 2 students please contact Verena Dietrich-Bischoff (vdb), and Year 3/Year 4/Year 5 issues will be addressed by Jacqueline Nairn (jn37, biodot).
- Finally, can I please remind all staff that many of our students have invisible disabilities, and may feel uncomfortable being asked about their accommodations or disability in front of their peers, or without warning. Equally, it is not helpful to project staff ideas around exam anxiety or stress onto the students. By the nature of our jobs, we were probably quite good at exams (or may even have enjoyed them!), but a poorly considered comment can unfortunately alienate or embarrass a student, rather than comfort or relax.
Of course, I will also be available to help answer questions or act as a conduit with the Disabilities Team.
Fran der Weduwen
Associate Lecturer (Education Focused)
School of Biology Disabilities Coordinator [email protected]