One of the areas that I really want to focus my PGCAP assessments around is the lack of writing undertaken by undergraduates at Plymouth University. This goes hand in hand with the lack of good feedback received from the lecturers. The more involved I become in my LDA role, the more it is becoming apparent that writing, or the lack thereof, really does hinder PU students ability to be competitive on the job market. One of the things the Dean said in yesterday's meeting is that employers in and around Plymouth don't want to employ our undergrads as they are not prepared to lead and run projects, offices, and contribute in a valuable way. Partly this comes down to lack of communication skills.
After chatting with Pete about what the students undertake at St Andrews (loads of assessments and writing that makes our students look like they don't do anything), I find myself asking the question, why do some lecturers think that the students at Plymouth are over-assessed?
And to continue on from that... why do many of the lectures seem to be opposed to asking students to write in different styles to broaden their communication skills? We are doing a disservice to our students by not fully preparing them for the challenges of today's job market upon completion of their degrees. We need to really re-think education and not only just consider how much subject content can be delivered in 24 weeks of teaching.
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