Student review [#22980] for Education
at The University of Glasgow - UOFG

I want to begin by stating that my time at university has been life-changing. I have met new people, gained invaluable life experiences and found out what I want to do with my career. The modules starting Year 3 of this course are exciting, insightful and tackle real-world problems from theoretical and practical perspectives. It highlights the importance of education and learning on a basic level, and expertly handles upsetting issues and hardships children and young people face. I have developed skills in both practical and research-based roles and found that as opposed to working in a classroom, I want to work with an educational provision in order to better the quality of learning for both pupils and their teachers.

Assignments for these courses focus on the implementation of learning experiences in a practical setting, detailing the vast quantity of subjects and Learning Objectives that can be taught through all curricular areas. This not only covers the core aspects of a subject, for example, Art being used only to teach Art and Design related skills, but rather how to use subjects such as Drama, Art, Media Studies and Literature to develop broader and more meaningful learning experiences spread across the curriculum.

However, the outcomes expected from School Placements seem well thought out and insightful on paper but are poorly executed and managed in practice. Better Mental Health Provision and better communication between Schools, Tutors and the School of Education are needed – transparent conversations between students, mentors and tutors would have made the learning experience more enjoyable and may have led to confidence growth and better academic outcomes. My experience would have been made better by transparent conversation and procedures that not only hold students accountable but also their school tutors and mentors. Students (and staff) need better mental health support and need better and more transparent procedures to ensure all parties are behaving in a professional manner and that no student is silenced due to their ‘need to pass’.

Overall my experience with UOfG was positive, however, there is room for improvement regarding student mental health, work/life balance and student/tutor relationships.