Mission Statement
Any attempts to improve learning and teaching within the University should ask us to question the status quo. Successive years of CUSU Council have passed policy mandating officers of CUSU to lobby the University for improvements and changes in many facets of learning and teaching. While widely regarded globally as a 'centre of teaching excellence', both the University and its students must continually examine current practices, adapting and changing to meet the needs and requirements of an ever changing student population in terms of both educational and social background. The formation of a University Learning and Teaching Strategy is in part an acknowledgement of this, but it would be foolish and complacent to think this to be a solution in itself.
A document that asks us to question whether what we currently do is less than optimal is at times uncomfortable. It asks us to question whether we can improve what we do, but equally in doing so can propose changes that we may be sceptical of or even resistant to. Yet obtaining a fully considered and accurate picture of just how good current learning and teaching practices are within the University cannot be fully effective if we are not willing to undertake such reflective measures.
The policies passed by CUSU Council indicate that there are perceived shortcoming in current practices and methods and these themselves should push both CUSU and the University to look hard at what we do. In taking some of the world's most gifted and able students, Cambridge goes on to produce a high number of world-class graduates. The question is what are the full reasons behind this and what price is paid in reaching this end product. In an increasingly research based assessment structure for funding and rankings, learning and teaching can often be viewed as the poorer cousin and become undervalued.
We must ask whether the standard and quality of teaching is consistent across colleges and faculties. Where it is good we should promote and share best practices, and where it is less so, we should strive to improve and better it.
Also, there is question of whether the current system allows students to reach their goals without an unnecessary arduous struggle. With large amounts of both resources and time being dedicated to individual student support and welfare, is the price students pay in obtaining a degree from our University sometimes too high?
A broad range of change and better support is needed for students and teachers. The University must continue to investigate if the teaching and courses are geared towards the contemporary student, as a disparity grows between how students learn at A-Level and what is expected of them in Cambridge. In some instances better support will be required for students to make a smoother transition from school to Cambridge, and to this end study skills support in Colleges and the University should be made more readily available. In other instances it will require a reconsideration of teaching and assessment methods, which may be rich in tradition but can be elitist and archaic. The learning and assessment experience should be evaluated with a view to making it more relevant while remaining as rigorous as before.
Teachers must be supported to allow them to devote their intellect to teaching. Improving the quality and uptake of supervisor training is essential. It will require a broader provision of subject specific, and in some cases paper specific training. It is imperative that a culture is nurtured where excellence in teaching is valued and rewarded alongside excellence in research.
There are obvious student responsibilities in improving teaching and learning. Students should value the privileges afforded to them as students of Cambridge University by providing useful feedback when asked and fulfilling their roles as student representatives in Colleges and Faculties. The University has a responsibility to support student representatives and should direct resources accordingly to do so.
We have a joint responsibility to improve teaching and learning in Cambridge. The CUSU LTS aims to align student efforts with those of the University, to nurture an environment of better cooperation between students and academics in partnership, justifying the greater resources Cambridge receives with evidence of truly excellent teaching, and allowing the realisation of the possibility that students will be able to develop their intellect to its full potential. This goal will make Cambridge truly worthy of its reputation as 'a centre of teaching excellence'.
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