Charters were all the rage under PM John Major, and it appears that they are coming back in vogue. A working group co-chaired by the National Union of Students and Universities UK will be producing a student charter for all HE colleges and universities.
NUS President Wes Streeting said: “Too often vague promises are made in shiny prospectuses raising students’ expectations beyond what’s deliverable in practice.”
The new charters would detail the mutual obligations of students and their institutions, covering such issues as expectations about personal support from tutors, formal contact time and feedback on course work, as well as the responsibilities of students such as private study time. The group will look at current best practice and will then provide a toolkit for institutions and students’ unions to use when developing institutional charters. Streets stressed it had to be clear what students can expect from teaching, facilities and support while offering clear redress when it isn’t delivered.
4/5/2010 PQ magazine