ElevatEd: Student Forum Sparks Dialogue on Quality Education

On   14th November, the newly elected INTER Board hosted their first event: a Student Forum for Quality Education at UvA. This forum, aimed at the larger student body that is unaware of the workings of student politics and their impacts, provided a platform to actively participate and discuss important issues. 

 

The event featured Len Holstein, a member of the Faculty Student Council of Law at UvA. Len shared his first-hand experience actively participating in student politics. To start us off, Len outlined his main responsibilities as a faculty council member, which include drafting and amending policies within the Teaching and Examination Regulations (TER), budgeting, and attending weekly general meetings. 

 

Following Len’s presentation, the group of participants was then encouraged to contribute their thoughts on areas where UvA can improve their quality of education. The following are some of the issues that were highlighted: 

 

• Seating Arrangement: Students often find lecture halls overcrowded, with insufficient seating to accommodate all enrolled students. As a result, many are left sitting on the floor or staircases, creating a suboptimal learning environment that detracts from focus and comfort and discourages students from attending lectures.

• Issues regarding grading: 

  • Grading Transparency: Students expressed a need for greater clarity in how grades are determined, as well as access to detailed feedback.

  • Grading for in-class participation: There should be clear guidelines as to how students can earn grades through in-class participation. 

• Attendance Policies for Tutorials/Seminars: Some students find the attendance policy at UvA strict and propose to make some changes. For example, at the Faculty of Economics and Business, students can do additional assignments to make up for absences. 

• Lecture Recording Policy: In some courses, lecturers do not provide lecture recordings which proves inconvenient for many students as sometimes they have to juggle work, chores, and other commitments. Participants stressed the importance of accessible lecture recordings to support diverse schedules and learning needs.

 

The forum served as a productive starting point for addressing these concerns and emphasized the importance of collaboration between students and their representatives in shaping a better academic experience. If you're interested in actively enhancing your experience at UvA and contributing to improving the quality of education, feel free to connect with INTER Times or the INTER Party via Instagram, email, or LinkedIn!