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You told us, so we are

Student feedback is important to us at UOW

We are committed to working with our students as trusted partners and listening to your feedback so we can make your time at UOW as useful, fulfilling, and transformative as possible.

When you share your opinions—both things we are doing well and things we can improve—this helps us to understand what needs to be done to enhance the day-to-day experiences for all students. It also helps informs how we can better align our strategy with building a world-class education setting.

How we listen

Our official feedback channels are available anytime for you to submit a confidential compliment, comment, suggestion, or complaint.

We conduct Subject and Teacher Evaluations each session, and annual national surveys like the Student Experience Survey (SES) and Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS).

Student Representation provides an avenue for feedback from members of the Student Advisory Council (SAC) or student associations.

Individual services and programs also collect feedback at different times throughout the year.   

What is You told us, so we are...? 

You told us, so we are… is our way of showing you that we are listening, and that your feedback is used to drive changes to improve the student experience. 

You can also read how your feedback has influenced changes at UOW Library, and Student Residences.

You told us...

Students want to connect with peers and take advantage of the on-campus experience 

So we are….

Providing students with more opportunities to connect with their peers and enjoy student life 

  • Launching a First Session Mentoring Program to help you settle into uni life and get to know other new students 
  • Expanding our Peer Learning Coaching (PLC) program, providing access to assistance from senior students with time management, assessment planning and staying motivated with your studies. 
  • Reintroducing Peer Assisted Study Session (PASS) so you excel in your subjects and connect with your peers in a relaxed environment outside of your tutorials and lectures.  
  • Investing in and revitalising student-led initiatives like clubs and societies to give you even more opportunities to connect. 
  • Continuing to run It’s Go Time, a multi-week series that provides support and connection opportunities over the first six week of your studies, and beyond. 
  • Increasing social programs for international students, including on-beach experiences; English Language conversation groups and cooking classes 
  • Holding regular face-to-face events, providing you with more opportunities to connect with your peers.

Students enjoy O-week festivities on campus

Students want better access to services and support that will help them succeed in their studies.

So we are….

Providing more types of personalised support that is easy to locate and access. 

View the full range of services and support available for students.

Students want ongoing support to navigate life and study and feel part of the UOW community. 

So we are….

Providing a range of services, opportunities and facilities to support our diverse student community. 

  • Introducing compulsory weekly welcome sessions for new international students covering important topics such as student systems, enrolment assistance, support services, and beach safety in Australia, as well as providing an opportunity to connect with your peers 
  • Investing in English Conversation Groups, both online and face-to-face, providing a platform for you to practice and improve your spoken English 
  • Introducing drop-in sessions focusing on strategies and tips for studying in Australia 
  • Partnering with community groups and local councils to facilitate beach and water safety programs 
  • Opening a multifaith centre on Wollongong campus offering a range of supports and services for students from diverse faith backgrounds 
  • Increasing the number of low sensory spaces on all UOW campuses to benefit the wellbeing of our students, staff and neurodiverse members of our community 
  • Investing in revitalising spaces for independent student associations such as WUSA, WUPA, Queer Collective, Tertangala, and the student ombudsman and student advocates. 
  • Creating a UOW Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework to build a university where all students and staff feel welcome and valued  

Students from EIS working on a project

Students want help with personal circumstances that are impacting their success at university. 

So we are….

Providing support for financial stress, housing issues and wellbeing and health concerns. 

  • Continuing to provide access to 24/7 wellbeing support via the free and confidential Student Wellbeing Support Line 
  • Continuing to build our team of Student Support Coordinators (SSCs), Counsellors and Student Accessibility and Inclusion (SA&I) Specialists 
  • Building a UOW Wellbeing Framework to address areas that we need to focus on and improve 
  • Introduced dedicated housing officers to assist students, both within UOW Residences and in private accommodation, to find secure housing 
  • Partnering with Good Shepard to create UOW’s Financial Inclusion Action Plan, so we can take strategic and impactful actions to improve the financial inclusion of our students and staff, with a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion 
  • Increasing scholarships for equity students and introducing monetary grants for students in subjects that have placement components to assist with costs

 

Students want systems and processes that are easy to use and understand. 

So we are….

Improving our administrative processes, systems and learning platforms, and upgrading our technology.  

  • Introducing a digital Student Success Portal as a central location for accessing support online 
  • Undertaking a review of UOW Learning Platforms, in consultation with students and staff. 
  • Upgrading Moodle to enable the option of dark mode, a redesigned dashboard layout, menu options, calendar, and improved mobile experience. 
  • Implementing changes to the SOLS Academic Consideration application process and adding direct links from Enrolment and Variations to knowledge articles for easier access. 
  • Working on improving the tutorial enrolment process, including streamlining timetables. 
  • Reviewing processes and looking at ways to simplify them so they are easier to follow. 
  • Increasing Knowledge Bank articles and content to better enable flexible self-service and immediate answers to questions about studying at UOW

 

 

Student-on-laptop

Students want relevant and constructive feedback on assessment tasks that gives them the tools they need to improve. 

So we are…

Providing access to personal feedback tools and improving feedback from teaching staff. 

  • Launching an Academic Skills Centre on Wollongong campus, giving you access to numeracy and literacy advisors who can help provide feedback on your assignments, or help you understand feedback you’ve received 
  • Continuing to provide access to Studiosity, an online feedback tool which provides constructive writing feedback in less than 24 hours, or live chat for one-to-one help in real time 
  • Increasing the number of Maths and Learning Skills advisors to support students across all campuses 
  • Launching a trial of Feedback Fruits suite of tools to improve peer assessments, group collaboration, and provision of feedback on assessments 
  • Embedding feedback guidelines for teaching staff in all courses to improve the practice of giving feedback on your assessments 
  • Improving the practice of giving feedback on your assessments and using innovative tools to enable more relevant feedback from your teaching staff. 
  • Reviewing and improving assessment practices, including addressing your concerns about ‘over-assessing’ and removing high stakes final exams, unless they are absolutely necessary.

 

Student and teacher talking at a desk

Students want to develop work-related knowledge and skills that they can apply in their chosen careers.    

So we are…

Offering opportunities for students to engage with potential employers and get real-world experience. 

  • Reinvigorating our flagship Graduate Careers Expo, bringing the largest number of employers ever to UOW 
  • Delivering a local jobs fair to link students with real time job opportunities 
  • UOW Academic Staff are working to create more opportunities within courses for students to engage in work integrated learning experiences. 

Students want increased community awareness and prevention training on sexual violence and to have input on student safety at UOW. 

So we are….

  • Holding UOW Respect Week every year as an opportunity for the UOW community to talk openly about what respect looks like, feels like and sounds like to each of us. 
  • Continuing to train staff, student leaders and placement providers in providing appropriate first response support to anyone disclosing incidents of sexual harassment or sexual assault.   
  • Partnering with the Wollongong Liquor Accord to develop an online training program called Set The Bar for staff working in licensed premises.   
  • Continuing to work with student representatives on our Safe and Respectful Communities Advisory Group.  
  • Making the Consent Matters module compulsory for all students, to raise awareness around consent, bystander intervention and how to report incidents of sexual assault and sexual violence. 

Respect week girls in front of big RESPECT letters

It's Go Time

You told us you wanted more support when you start uni, so we've done just that by creating It’s Go Time - a multi-week series that provides support over the first six week of your studies, and beyond.

Get it out

It's go time at UOW. We're looking forward to welcoming you to UOW in 2023. To celebrate, we've curated a series of weeklong events to give you all the information, connections and fun needed to make your time at UOW the very best it can be. Whether you're just starting at UOW or you're back for another year, we've got all of the tips and tricks you need to nail enrolment and go to guide for campus and student living, making new friends, and securing your future for after you graduate.

Tell us what you think

We’re working hard to improve the student experience at UOW and welcome your feedback anytime. Share your thoughts using our feedback system where you can submit a comment, compliment, or suggestion.