The start of the semester is the best time on campus because everyone’s excited to be back, looking stunning and bringing their best looks to the table. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Curtin students are the hottest and coolest by far.

As classes began, the Guild received feedback that some students were having pre-recorded lectures recycled from previous semesters, as far back as 2017. Students were asking – why am I paying all this money to watch a video from last year and not even being able to ask my lecturer questions in real-time? We channelled this feedback to university management and are following up with them.

We’re at mid-semester 2021 and we have still received no communication from Curtin about when in-person lectures will return. Some students, unable to keep going with this uncertainty, have switched to other universities or dropped out. Through the Guild’s online lecture feedback form, many students said that they simply wanted in-person lectures back, and the flexibility to choose to attend in-person if that worked best for them.

With UWA and ECU making efforts to provide in-person lecture options, it makes sense for Curtin to make efforts to provide students with that choice too. I channelled students feedback to the Vice-Chancellor: Curtin Students Demand the Return of In-Person Lectures ASAP.

In response to students demands, they have removed the 100-person cap on lecture theatres, but lectures will not be in-person in semester 1. We understand that it’s difficult to pivot room arrangements mid-way through the semester. But what about semester 2?

The university is making decisions right now about semester 2 room bookings. However, the Guild is hearing that the university is not looking to return to in-person lectures this year. We are continuing to push for in-person lectures to return in semester 2, but meeting concerning resistance.

Curtin’s Learning for Tomorrow Model proposes phasing out large-scale lectures entirely. The university is looking to approve this during the winter holidays. This means that depending on the outcome, instead of a return of in-person lectures we could see lectures phased out entirely in favour of a different model of education delivery.

The Guild is conducting student consultation right now until Week 8 because we want to hear what students have to say about these changes. What you tell us is what we will fight for.

To read the proposal and provide your feedback, register for a Week 7 consultation workshop here. 

You can find the student survey on the future of lectures and tutorials at Curtin here.

Email Jesse on president@guild.curtin.edu.au
Learn more about your representatives.