Dear Student
As the warm weather continues and we rush towards the conclusion of trimester three, I thought a short update would be useful, together with a reminder of our September delivery plans and other news.
Fantastic National Student Survey (NSS) Outcomes:
Each year all final year students at universities across the UK are contacted on behalf of the Office for Students to survey their experience of Higher Education. These results (The NSS) are published across the media and are used as a quality measure for each university. I am delighted to report that the 2022 NSS outcomes have once again proved excellent for ARUL. Our students rated ARUL above the National HEI Average in all 9 question areas once again, this year by an average of 8.2 points. We were above the Upper Quartile of all universities (so in the top 25% of all universities) for 5 of the 9 questions areas; Learning Opportunity, Organisation and Management, Learning Resources, Learning Community and Student Voice. These included some remarkable outcomes, including rating the experience at ARUL a full 15.6 higher than the Upper Quartile for Learning Community, 10.8 points higher than the Upper Quartile for Student Voice, and 4 points higher for Organisation and Management. This is a remarkable achievement and shows how highly our students rate their whole experience. Many thanks for such excellent feedback, and please be assured that we will of course endeavour to improve all aspects of our provision even further as there are always improvements to be made.
September Delivery Plans:
As previously explained, it is critically important that our students return to physical classes for a range of reasons which have been outlined in previous communications. Synchronous delivery has resulted in many students studying remotely (essentially as distance learners) which unfortunately is not possible in the future for three reasons:
- Student educational achievement and progression have been lower during synchronous delivery
- ARUL is not approved to deliver distance learning courses (outside of the specific measures allowed during the pandemic)
- Students studying distance learning courses are not eligible for a Maintenance Loan.
So as a reminder, there will be no synchronous delivery from September; and we really look forward to a full return to our wonderful facilities. We are working closely with the Student Union to support the return to physical attendance, and as we have consistently informed students of this change throughout the last year, I hope this will be no surprise to you. We are mindful that some students' personal situation may have changed, making continual physical attendance difficult whilst they transition back to Campus. The DOS team are our focal point in supporting you in returning, so if you need specific support then please visit the DOS live Zoom room at https://zoom.us/j/97613642997#success
Other Developments and Activities:
- We piloted our first ever Leavers Event on the 5th July for all completing students. This was very well received and proved a real success. We will look to expand the idea for future completers, with the next planned for February 2023 for all students completing this year. Photos from the Event are available at ARU London | Leavers Event Class of 2022
- We had multiple Top Achiever and Employability Events across this month, recognising our excellent student body. These continue to be hugely popular and many congratulations to all receiving awards. Photos from the Events are available at https://london.aru.ac.uk/discover-aru-london/event-gallery
- The Student Union Awards Event took place on the 11th July, where our students nominated and gave awards to academics, professional staff and Student Reps, recognising the difference they have made across the last academic year. Many congratulations to all Award Winners and nominees.
- As I write we have completed our first two graduation ceremonies of the year, with a further five over the next two days. These days are the recognition of fantastic achievement for our graduates and are the highlight of the year. You can watch recordings on the ceremonies on Youtube.
Enjoy the remainder of your summer, making sure you submit any outstanding assessments, and I look forward to meeting you all on Campus in the coming months.
Kind regards,
David Sexton
Principal