Dawn Couzens

Hello everyone! I’m running for Academic Rep because I’d love to help bridge the communication gap between students and academic staff, and make our lives a little less stressful (because Imperial academic stress is already ridiculous enough).

Here’s what I’d love to push for:

Short-term goals:

• Past papers WITH answers: Make example answers easily accessible on ESESIS so we know what lecturers actually expect in an exam. AI is not always the answer, especially for geology!
• Better GTA preparation: Brief GTAs before practicals so they can explain the process of reaching an answer, rather than working backwards from the solution with us.
• Clearer examinable content: Help us distinguish essential assessment material from supplementary information in the lecture slides, using a signposting system (e.g. year 1 geomaterials slides).
• “You Said, We Did” updates: Keep everyone informed about what happens to the feedback we raise with staff.
• A question submission system: Introduce a question form organised by module and lecture, so questions don't get forgotten just because we've moved on to the next topic.

Longer-term ideas:

• Rethink long lecture blocks: Explore separating lectures and practicals so we have time to understand the theory before applying it.
• Optional academic mentors: Pair students with older years who can help explain tricky concepts without the fear of pestering busy lecturers!

I can’t promise every idea will happen overnight, but I can promise to advocate for them and keep you updated.

Anyway, please vote for me. It would be very gneiss of you! :)