Extramural Presidents Blog » Benefits

Free Membership: get benefits and support the student voice

ralph — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:29:13 +0000

For the first few months of 2012 membership of EXMSS will be free! If you are enrolled for 2012 I advise you to join EXMSS now. Membership is for the academic year.

EXMSS has been preparing for this transition and has funds to cover the shortfall in 2012. Membership benefits include a super-cheap shuttle service to and from the Manawatu campus, insider knowledge, through the e-zine Off Campus, about what’s going on in the tertiary sector and behind the screens at Massey, access to high-level advocacy support, and the EXMSS scholarships, plus other giveaways.

Become part of the EXMSS community

Members are also supporting a student voice that raises the concerns of distance, part-time and adult students at national level and within Massey. These students, particularly part-timers, are singled out as underachievers by the Government and that needs to stop. Massey is caught in the middle and has effectively been forced to reduce its distant student numbers or risk millions in government funding. All because the Government doesn’t get the role part time study has in our society.

Services delivered to all students will eventually be delivered independently of EXMSS, although during the 2012 transition period some may still be managed by EXMSS.

I am pleased to say that EXMSS has a clear strategic plan, clarity about the services it wishes to provide to its members and good strategies for providing an independent voice for distance and part time students. The first EXMSS media release is taking shape and the details of the great deal in shuttle services will soon emerge. Stay connected and stay strong!

Study Materials Solution

ralph — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:21:24 +0000

What to expect?

Following students concerns about access to printed study material I have brokered a solution with Massey University. The issue is a transition that is not clear to all those involved. The discussion in the Materials and Modes forum suggested that a set of criteria would be applied to the free provision of study material, but as this has not yet been finalised the existing policy stands. The policy states that material essential for course completion must be provided in printed form if the student requests it.

The problem is that not all lecturers are aware of this. If you have a problem with getting hold of printed material, send me an email and I will ensure you receive it post-haste and for free. I am urging the University to clarify this with lecturers so the problem does not become widespread.

Implementation of the Eight Year Rule

ralph — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:38:26 +0000

Following my comments at Massey’s Academic Board it was noted that the Eight Year Rule regulation could disadvantage traditional distance learners. It was agreed that communication to students of the rational for this regulation should be clear and immediate. Furthermore, the provision of negotiated pathways should be highlighted. Without a student voice in this process, not only would this regulation be harsher but I feel the communication to students would have been less complete.

You would have received this communication by now. Supporting material has been placed on the Massey site here. It is in this material on-line that the language becomes more difficult for students. Students are expected to “choose pathways that articulate into one another and thereby include completion milestones en-route to a final study destination.” What this means is that students may be required to graduate with a diploma if they are not going to complete their Bachelors in eight years. They can then go on to complete the Bachelors if Massey offers them a further place.

As well as being involved in this discussion, as your student representative I have been placing students first in discussions about;

Applied learning – integrating work experience into tuition
The role of contact courses
The provision of printed vs digital material to students
Guidelines for teaching hours
Plagiarism database and disciplinary regulations
Grievance database and grievance processes
Student survey framework
Failure of students to engage in coursework pilot process
Academic reform process

Each of these areas needs student input to ensure Massey keeps its most important stakeholder at the forefront of their thinking. The voice I supply is appreciated by Massey, particularly those staff who have teaching and learning, rather than financial operations and compliance, as their primary concern.

What’s the Plan Now We Have VSM?

ralph — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:35:52 +0000

Now that voluntary membership of student associations is in for 2012, what happens? There have been many meetings between the Massey students associations and the University. As early as March students associations looked to define a good systems for representation within the University. The idea, having a method of keeping students in touch with each other and a system where their views and feedback can be heard, got a positive response from University Council. However, how this will look, and what funding can be used, are still unknown.

The truth is, the VSM Bill has arrived at a very difficult time. Student associations can’t ask at enrolment if a student would like to join – enrolment is already open for 2012 and Massey’s enrolment software does not have that functionality. Also, there is no time to discuss what services the students need and want before the summer break. Furthermore, the nature of the services that can be funded has not been clarified by the Government.

Fortunately, Massey has made it clear that it values its student associations. And the Government has made it clear that services should be agreed between students and the institution. So we have the opportunity to present a strategy about how we might offer services and representation in a voluntary environment. The result for EXMSS is a document that describes one way forward: The EXMSS Draft Strategy and Position Document. Now we must consider all of the factors described in this document and negotiate, in partnership with the other associations and Massey, the way forward.

2012 Fees Rise, Services Remain Unknown

ralph — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:27:36 +0000

The fees for study in 2012 have been released.

That's right, we don't know what the services are yet

The fees decision outcome is not unexpected. The tuition fee a student pays will increase four percent, the maximum allowed by Government. The new student service fee effectively represents both the 2011 university levies plus the 2011 student association fees increased by five percent in line with inflation. However not all of the services currently available to students will remain. Shuttle services, for example, are unlikley to be funded through the new student service levy. With the University having to formally account for the dollars levied and then spent on student services, Massey has decided to increase their levy in order to fund the university student services as well as some of the services historically provided by the students associations. Many Student Association services are seen as essential parts of the student experience and student success. The result is transparency about the spending and a relative increase in fees due to an expected reduction in services.

Massey Statement on Fees

Massey University’s student fees for next year will ensure valuable services remain available to students while the University seeks to control students’ costs as much as possible.

Tuition fees will increase by 4 per cent in 2012, in line with the increases announced by other universities.

The fees were agreed by the University Council at its September meeting and will be posted on the Massey website in time for the opening of 2012 enrolments on Monday.

The University Council also decided on changes to the student services levy, which will range from $121 to $516 next year (compared with $75-$325 this year) depending on the mode of learning and the number of papers students take. Distance students will pay less than internal students; full-time students will pay more than those taking fewer papers.

The levy increase reflects a decision by the University to ensure that student services that are valuable part of the student experience at Massey are continued.

2012 University Fee Decisions

ralph — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:07:17 +0000

The fee decisions for 2012 have been held up due to the late passage of the Freedom of Association (Voluntary Membership) legislation. EXMSS, along with the other Massey associations, would like to discuss with students what might be suitable student association structures and services. But this is difficult when we do not know what sort of funding may be available.

What will fees and services look like under VSM?

The Massey University Federation of Student Associations have been discussing how change can be managed. And the associations have plans to describe the environment and possible structures and services to students in order for the change to be student led. However, before we have that conversation we must have clarity about the resources that may be available, and what scope there may be for service provision.

The FoA Bill is expected to pass into law at the end of September. Following that, information on fees; what is allowed and what is possible, will be made available to students. As a distance student, you can expect a summary of the fee changes on this blog (as has been done in past years), but also to be approached for your views so that student opinion can drive the future direction of EXMSS.

Out of Time for Orderly Change

ralph — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:36:32 +0000

It is difficult to imagine student associations getting off to a good start if voluntary membership is introduced in 2012.

In order to operate successful voluntary associations, a simple mechanism for joining the relevant association that is supported by good information about membership costs and benefits, as well as agreed fee collection systems, will be essential.

It is not possible to determine what membership costs or services that may be provided without an understanding of what type of relationship will exist between the University and the associations. This cannot be decided before the University fees for 2012 are set, and there is clarity about the legislation.

When students begin enrolling on October 1^st they should have access to clear information about association services, benefits and costs. With the final form of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill still unknown, the University is unable to make changes to the enrolment and billing systems that would allow students to join a students association voluntarily.

The consequence for distance students will be the loss of a representative on campus who can advocate for students both as a group and individually. Scholarships, hardship grants, shuttle services, the OffCampus magazine, the extramural student’s graduation dinner, Review It, the contact course help desk, regional support, may also disappear.

The recommendation from the select committee was to give the associations about a year to prepare – let’s hope our law makers see sense and allow us reasonable time to prepare.

Study Materials and Modes

ralph — Thu, 26 May 2011 01:36:54 +0000

I have recently been involved in discussions about how Massey can improve the information for students around what to expect from a paper and how it willbe delivered. This is part of Massey’s drive to continually improve the student experience. This may seem a small issue but imbedded in this discussion has been support for minimum standards for Stream sites. E-submission of assignments and student forums are among the things I support as being mandatory. I was also vocal in suggesting paper outlines include not only learning outcomes and content, but the descriptions of the style of delivery: how much is webbased, is there group work and what sort of study material will be provided.
Recommendations from the group include a suggestion that the student workload calculator (a university endorsed tool) be applied to all papers and that agreed principles be used to guide the need for contact courses. If these recommendations are picked up there will be improved clarity for students regarding what they are spending their money on. Additionally workloads will not fluctuate between papers and contact courses will be necessary and valuable every time.

I will follow and support the progress of these initiatives as your student representative on campus.

Young Students Need to Grow

ralph — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:20:24 +0000

Where do we grow up?

The purpose of a University education is not only to gain a qualification, but to grow and mature as a person. For our young students this is especially true. The Freedom of Association Bill will change that permanently. Under Voluntary Student Membership (VSM) the student experience becomes the university experience; the same type of student engagement we see in our secondary schools.

For Massey the defining qualities of a graduate are connected, creative and capable*. It is through the ‘student experience’ that a student becomes these things. Students get involved, not only their study but in clubs and sports, local community, events, and, as they progress, the support networks and systems that deliver education to themselves and their peers. Having a voice in the system and being a part of the processes that create the student experience are important for students in order to develop and grow as a person.

Under VSM the services that students once controlled will become contracted services funded by the University and delivered by the Student Association. There are services like advocacy that cannot be for members only: they are too important to the achievement of funding related completion rates. The University will have to levy students for these universally available services.

The University will therefore hold the power to decide what the student experience will be and the resulting model becomes that of a secondary school. The students must obey the rules set out by the institution and accept that what is provided is what is provided. So when is it that we expect our young students to test their voice, their opinions, and practice their organisational skills? Is this our vision of a university education?

*Capable being included in the Vice Chancellors address to new students in 2011.

Get Involved in your Learning Community

ralph — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 03:11:52 +0000

The EXMSS Extramural Area Representatives (EARs) came together at a conference this weekend. An amazing eclectic group of volunteers, these people willingly give their time to provide assistance to students living in their local area. On many occasions the issue can be resolved by the EAR. EARs are also able to direct students to the best people to resolve issues that need your contribution such as access to loans and allowances, programme advice, changes in programme and personal support.

The EXMSS EARs will be at the orientation meetings that Massey’s Centre for Teaching and Learning offer at the start of each semester. These meetings are valuable. They discuss the skills you will need to be successful in your studies. Our EARs will offer all those who attend these meetings a FREE Academic Writing Guide and inform you of services like the FREE Supershuttle from airports to campuses and the support you can receive through your student society such as the hardship grant and scholarships.

The key message they will deliver is to get involved in your learning community: visit the EXMSS website regularly, contact your peers through class lists and approach Massey and EXMSS about the services they offer. Everyone is keen to help you succeed. If you hit a barrier there are many ways to tackle it. If you don’t know where to start then just phone 0508 4 EXMSS and ask for EXMSS.

All the best for your journey and we look forward to connecting as you progress.

Want to contribute? Contact Anne@exmss.org.nz and put your hand up to be an Area Representative.