You said, we did

At Keele, we’re committed to delivering an outstanding student experience based on real student feedback. Read about recent improvements that we have made thanks to your feedback.

Digital bus timetables

We listened to your feedback about the need for clearer bus information on campus and introduced bus totem signs on campus. These signs provide clear and concise information about schedules and destinations, helping you to plan your journeys with confidence. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.

New launderette supplier

Following student feedback about our previous launderette supplier for our Halls of Residence, we have moved to a new supplier, WASHCO, with effect from September 2024. Benefits of using WASHCO include that the wash cycle already includes detergent and fabric conditioner, helping you save money and ticking two things off your shopping list! You can also see if machines are free before you head down to the launderette, and the machines use the latest cashless technology, meaning you can pay with credit or debit cards, as well as from your phone.

Car parking improvements

We've introduced the ability to park and stay all day across 387 spaces on overflow car park A3, and installed signage to help you get from there to the centre of campus via either a woodland walk or roadside footpaths. Car park A3 is charged at £3 for up to eight hours, or is free for those with a valid Keele parking permit.

New bus service

Sustainable travel options between Keele University and Newcastle-under-Lyme have received a boost thanks to the launch of a new bus service. From September 2024, Service K, operated by D&G Bus, links the Science and Innovation Park at Keele with Chesterton for the first time via the Keele campus, Silverdale, Knutton and Waterhayes.

We have introduced principles of inclusive education across all our teaching provision. Comprehensive resources have been provided to teaching staff to ensure inclusivity is at the heart of our approach.

To enhance accessibility and deliver a better student experience, we’ve transitioned our Keele Learning Environment (KLE) to Blackboard Ultra. This upgrade ensures compatibility across all devices and includes minimum standards for staff designing and using the platform.

We’ve introduced clear guidelines on the use of AI in assessments, and have developed resources and workshops to help students ethically incorporate AI into their learning practices.

Teaching quality

Our staff are now engaged in peer observations and reviews of teaching materials. This initiative fosters the sharing of good practices and ensures high-quality teaching across the university.
Students are actively involved in reviewing the learning and teaching experience on their modules, ensuring their voices shape the curriculum and delivery methods.

Student voice

To gather feedback more effectively, we’ve implemented consistent mid-module evaluations. This allows us to act on student insights earlier and enhances communication through various group meetings.
Our student voice system has been redesigned to include a broader range of student perspectives, ensuring we continue to improve the student experience collaboratively.

Academic support

Every school now has a dedicated Student Engagement and Retention Lead to proactively support students and ensure no one is left behind.
We’ve created a suite of new academic and digital skills resources to support students in their studies.

Careers and placements

We’ve made significant investments in staff to facilitate placements and work-related projects across all undergraduate programmes, preparing students for the professional world of work.

Course feedback

We are also keen to act on feedback provided for particular courses, and have detailed how we have acted on some of this feedback in the accordions below.

You said: Allied Health Professions students said they would like guidance on using labs to be clearer.
We did: We formed a working group with students to revise guidance for laboratory sessions and make it easier to understand.

You said: Allied Health Professions students fed back that an elective component was really useful and should be core content.
We did: We have now embedded this content across the main programme.

You said: Allied Health Professions students fed back that placement support could be improved.
We did: We listened to this feedback and have implemented the "book-end" support, which takes place on the first and last day of placement blocks.

You said: Nursing & Midwifery students said they would like more support in stepping up to the next level of academic writing.
We did: Our Learning and Development Support Tutor has developed resources and implemented a 3-year package of academic skills development to support students with this.

You said: Nursing & Midwifery students fed back that they would like to have dedicated time to work on dissertations.
We did: We have added a formative submission date for the first chapter of the nursing dissertation, and have added writing retreats into student timetables to provide protected, supported time for students to work on their dissertations.

You said: Nursing & Midwifery students said they would like to complete more field-specific learning
We did: We have reviewed the content of our programmes and added more field-specific learning to timetables.

You said: Students in the Faculty of Natural Sciences said they were unsure where to look for help with their assignments
We did: We have introduced standardised assessment briefs to ensure all assessments provide similar sets of guidance, and to help you know where to look for help.

You said: Students in the Faculty of Natural Sciences said they would like more opportunities to reflect on their learning, skills development and career readiness.
We did: Each School in the Faculty now delivers a one-day event for final year students in semester 2, with activities including career talks from speakers including industry professionals, academics and alumni.

You said: Life Sciences students said they would benefit from more support around graduate destinations and career readiness.
We did: We have expanded the core careers strand across first and second year, introduced a new “Professional Development in Bioscience” module, and a new school-wide careers and engagement hub themed around key destinations including biomedical/clinical science and industry.

You said: Life Sciences students said assessment deadlines across final year modules significantly increased workload at key points in the semester.
We did: We have introduced a school-wide assessment map to give a better spread of deadlines across the semester. We have also responded proactively to concerns on a case-by-case basis, with a focus on supporting your student experience.

You said: Life Sciences students said they really valued the opportunity for more student involvement in staff peer review of teaching activities based on our initial pilot.
We did: We have extended this approach to incorporate wider Student Voice Rep involvement in peer review activities and have been focussing on module information and assessment guidance this year.

You said: Life Sciences students said they would like more opportunities to connect with other students and engage in peer support activities.
We did: We have introduced a new school-level student mentoring scheme, co-developed with Student Services and the student-led Life Sciences Society, to support students’ sense of belonging and further develop key skills through mentoring opportunities.

You said: Life Sciences students said they would like more opportunities to connect with staff across the school.
We did: We have continued to further support the work of the student-led Life Sciences Society by appointing a new society-staff liaison and supporting society-led student drop-ins through academic staff attendance and other social activities.

You said: Psychology students told us they weren’t always sure how to improve from their assessment feedback.
We did: Feedback is now focussed on highlighting what students did well, and also how they can develop.

You said: Psychology students told us they welcome opportunities to chat with staff, to ask questions and provide feedback.
We did: We now hold weekly coffee hours to provide a setting for Psychology students to meet with other students and staff.

You said: Psychology students said they value support with building their academic skills.
We did: The School of Psychology now has its own dedicated Academic Support team and a new Skills Hub filled with resources to support you.

You said: Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry students said they would appreciate more insight into careers that are available to them.
We did: We have introduced sessions where speakers from across the chemical industry come to speak to students about their experiences and careers available to them.

You said: Chemistry students told us they did not get the chance to refocus after the January assessment period before starting semester two.
We did: We modified the timetable for week one of semester two to support students in building back into their studies.

You said: Forensic Science students said they wanted more CSI practicals and experience in real-world crime scene investigation as part of their programme.
We did: We have invested in developing our forensic simulation, which features a number of domestic and non-domestic scenes to use for practicals across the programme.

You said: Forensic Science students said they wanted more support, better organisation, and more clarity on marking in their project modules.
We did: We have reorganised both third and fourth-year projects to include more induction and planning sessions, created new assessment briefs to clarify how your assessments are marked, and introduced a wider range of projects for students to choose from.

You said: Forensic Science students requested the opportunity to study areas of the subject that interest them.
We did: In both the third and fourth year, we have added a range of new optional modules from across the breadth of forensic science to allow you to tailor your studies towards your desired career path.

You said: Physics and Astrophysics students asked us not to use a whiteboard when teaching as it was sometimes difficult to follow.
We did: We explored using OneNote as a digital teaching tool to improve quality of taught sessions, and are now expanding its use across the programme.

You said: Physics and Astrophysics students said there were too many formulae to learn for examinations.
We did: We explored using standardised equation sheets to aid students in assessments, and these are now used in all exams across the programme.

You said: Physics and Astrophysics students said there were too many small deadlines throughout the semester.
We did: After speaking to students, we have reduced the number of assessments and introduced more formative assessments to help you better complete the ones that count towards your marks.

You said: Computing and Maths students said they wanted better feedback on their work and a better understanding of how we mark it.
We did: We now have devoted time in every module to explain assessment, marking and feedback.

You said: Computing and Maths students said that, in some cases, especially in their first year, they saw some overlap between their A-levels and their modules, and in those cases they would like to be challenged more.
We did: We are creating more challenging and advanced, but optional, tasks for those cases and for those students who come with A-level subject knowledge.

You said: Computing and Maths students said they needed a break in long taught sessions.
We did: We are now allowing at least a 10 minute break for every hour of teaching.

You said: Computing and Maths students said they wanted to see more real-world applications of what they were learning in their modules.
We did: We are adding more real-world case studies and examples from our research involvement with industry partners into module content.

You said: Computing and Maths students said they wanted better integration of practical/tutorial sessions and lectures.
We did: We are now making additional effort to explain how practical/tutorial sessions relate to lecture content, and also explain how they are relevant to assessments.

You said: Computing and Maths students said that, on some occasions, they cannot see how module topics relate to each other.
We did: We have included a roadmap in modules to show how topics that are being covered each week fit with the overall module structure.

You said: Media students asked to see examples of previous student work for Media assessments.
We did: We have listened to this feedback and made this standard practice across all Media modules.

You said: English students asked for more non-traditional assessments in the first year.
We did: We are diversifying English assessments from 2025-26 as a result of this feedback.

You said: English students asked for more guidance about tone for non-traditional assessments.
We did: We will provide this information in English assessment briefs.

You said: Humanities students asked for the Humanities Ball to be reinstated.
We did: The Humanities Ball is now back on the calendar on an annual basis.

You said: Keele Business School students asked for help managing stress when presenting in person.
We said: We now give students the option of asking to present without an audience.

You said: Keele Business School students asked for help with assessments over the winter vacation period.
We said: We set assignments earlier, meaning you can meet with tutors before the vacation.

You said: Keele Business School students asked for better gaps between assignments.
We did: We have asked staff to plan assignments together to avoid clashing deadlines.

You said: Paramedic Science students asked for one of the assessment dates to be changed to earlier in the year for year 3.
We did: We have implemented this feedback and moved one of the assessments in year 3.

You said: Paramedic Science students asked for a ‘live’ timetable link so we could provide them with more detailed information on sessions.
We did: We have acted upon this feedback and the live timetable link is now provided on the KLE.

You said: Paramedic Science students requested two assessments to be condensed into one to help with workload.
We did: We have acted on this feedback and redesigned the assessments into one piece of work.

You said: Paramedic Science students asked for ‘bespoke’ anatomy and physiology sessions.
We did: We now have medical science lecturers delivering bespoke sessions on these topics.

You said: Paramedic Science students requested a change to the format of group work.
We did: Following feedback, we worked with students to ensure sessions were more aligned to their needs.

You said: Paramedic Science students asked for problem-based learning session timings to be reviewed.
We did: We changed the timings for problem-based learning sessions to accommodate this request.

You said: Medicine students were unhappy with the opening hours of David Weatherall Café.
We did: We invited the catering team to our Staff and Student Voice Committee and as a result of discussions the opening hours were extended on all weekdays.

You said: Medicine students said that the turnaround of results following the assessment of student-selected components was too long.
We did: We have revised our processes, and the turnaround time is now much faster.

You said: Medicine students said that they needed more revision time in fourth year to allow them to prepare for the new national exam.
We did: We removed the student-selected component to provide more preparation time.

You said: Medicine students said they were concerned about the lack of out-of-hours Library opening times at the Clinical Education Centre.
We did: We have created a business case to extend the opening hours at the CEC Library.

You said: Social Work students said they would prefer more notice for timetabled sessions being confirmed.
We did: We have provided annual calendars showing all requested timetabled sessions and assessment deadlines at the start of the academic year, even if formal timetable confirmations are delayed.

You said: Social Work students requested additional opportunities to reconnect during placement periods (in addition to monthly recall days and tutorials).
We did: We have introduced drop-ins for placement-related issues each month via Teams, and bespoke research project drop-ins on a fortnightly basis.

You said: Students in the School of Social Sciences asked us to organise more informal events where they can meet other students
We did: We have done this at programme level and have had reports of students enjoying the opportunity to meet peers from different levels of study.

You said: International Relations students requested more community-building opportunities outside of the classroom.
We did: The programme is developing a Crisis Simulation and social event for International Relations students and others who expressed interest in a model UN event last year.

You said: Philosophy students said they would appreciate more opportunities to learn about and discuss contemporary issues.
We did: We have introduced a new module, ‘Contemporary Ethical Issues’, where we discuss important recent issues including the ethics of AI, the use of cloning and technological enhancements of human beings, the morality of border controls, and what duties we owe to the environment.