Community members
Meet members of the ASKe community; these include both students and staff and go beyond the ASKe staff team and the ASKe Fellows. All of these people are somehow connected to the work of, or work for ASKe, most often on the various social initiatives we are currently involved with at the Business School. Click on the different profiles to read more about how these individuals work with ASKe and what they think of our schemes.
Name: Holly Casey
Job Title: PAL Leader
Year of study: Final (4th) Year
How long have you been in this role?
I was a PAL Leader during my second year and had once again taken up the role in my final year.
Please give a brief description of your duties:
Initially I organised a meeting with the Module Leader who was responsibled for the subject that I ran PAL on, and also arranged a time to introduce myself and PAL to the students on the module. That had encouraged more students to attend the sessions. During the PAL sessions, I tried to determine why the students attended PAL session, which areas would they like to increase their understanding on, and then how best to explain concepts, theories, or other issues to the students. This role required patience and the ability to encouraged students to suggest their own ideas and participate in discussion. You must also be prepared to repeat yourself or find a different way of explaining an issue until the students fully understand. Equally there may be occasions where I had to refer them to a member of staff for further information.
What does this role offer you? i.e. skills development, work experience etc
This role provided me an opportunity to manage a group of students and facilitate their learning. I have improved my communication skills as you really have to consider how best to convey a topic or theory in order for the students to understand it. Also you have to manage a very limited period of time, ensuring that all students are provided with a chance to share their ideas or problems.
What impact do you feel your role has on other students / the Business School?
It provides another support service for students, that occurs every week at the same location with the same person; another student. Often individuals feel more comfortable discussing problems and ideas with someone of a similar age who has been through it all before. As a student you can also provide useful study techniques that aren’t covered by the lectures, but you found helpful when working on the module. Personally I love being involved with PAL, it is so rewarding knowing that you have helped improve someone’s understanding and boosted their confidence about the subject.
What is it like working for ASKe?
Very straight forward. To be honest, after the initial training session I haven’t really had any reason to speak directly to ASKe.
What do you think of these type of initiatives (Module Assistant scheme, CTA scheme, PAL scheme etc) and in particular the one you work on?
These schemes are always useful to both the students running them and the people attending them. Personally I attended PAL sessions in my second year and found them of real use. The finance sessions were of particular use to me as we worked through examples together and its just ‘clicks’ if you have someone talk through a concept.
Would you recommend involvement with ASKe and these type of practices to other students, the Business School and the wider University?
Definitely – it looks great on your C.V. and, with PAL, it provides students with another place to turn for advice and support. It can also be of great benefit to the Module Leaders as their students are gaining an increased understanding of the subject.
Name: Tina Devchand
Job Title: PAL Leader – Fundamentals of Finance
Year of study: 4th year.
How long have you been in this role?
I initially took on this role in my second year. After returning from placement this year, I decided to continue with being a PAL Leader
Please give a brief description of your duties:
The duties include helping stage 2 students get an understanding of the module. Answering questions and encouraging logical reasoning is also part of the job description. This allows the students to comprehend the concepts learnt and build their confidence in the module. Having previously taken the module I know where the difficulties lie and give students advice and information on how to improve performance in an informal manner.
What does this role offer you? i.e. skills development, work experience etc
This role has made me increase my problem solving skills and critical reason in a limit amount of time. I am now able to answer students questions methodically in a limited amount of time and make sure they understand the technique being taught before moving on. I believe this a transferable skill for the future and will greatly benefit me for my graduate roles. To a certain extent, as a PAL leader I have been given the opportunity to further develop my leadership communication and interpersonal skills. Working with a diverse range of students from different backgrounds, I can now relate to the students much more quickly and understand their issues.
What impact do you feel your role has on other students / the Business School?
I feel the role has a major impact on other students. Being a PAL leader, I can persuade students to persevere even though the module may be challenging and difficult at times. Advising the students to fully understand and complete the work given each week before moving on may help in their module performance. Also relating my experience and understanding what they are going through, may in turn give them a sense of comfort and motivate the students. This will in turn lead to more dedication towards the module.
What is it like working for ASKe?
Working for ASKe is fantastic. The team members/ lecturers are very helpful and answer questions and queries promptly regarding the role. Working as a PAL Leader, I gain much satisfaction in helping others succeed and well as sharing my past experiences with them.
What do you think of these type of initiatives (Module Assistant scheme, CTA scheme, PAL scheme etc) and in particular the one you work on?
I believe the PAL scheme is extraordinary. It improves integration within all years of the university and provides a sense of support to the students in stage 1 and stage 2. Furthermore, it also motivates the students whilst increasing their confidence in the course content. The students are encouraged to improve their grades as well as exam techniques, allowing them to succeed in the module.
Would you recommend involvement with ASKe and these type of practices to other students, the Business School and the wider University?
I would definitely recommend the involvement with ASKe to other students. I have been able to further advance my skills in university environment rather than commercial one.
Name: Paul Reynier
Job Title: Senior Lecturer in Accounting, Governance and Information Management Dept
Why did you become involved with the Module Assistant scheme?
Because my module has 460 students on it.
What duties do you give to your module assistant and how often do you see them?
One person has helped drawing up the class list from PIP for the 8 seminar leaders.
Another assistant helps each week in the seminars, collecting in the coursework and doing the marking of half the students after appropriate training. He has offered to help setting up the computer-based in-class end of semester tests.
What benefits does this scheme have for you and your module assistant?
Couldn’t run the module without them!
Would you like to see this initiative rolled out more extensively at the Business School and in the wider University?
Yes, It provides an invaluable help to the module leaders AND gives the student an opportunity to see what it is like being a teacher/trainer.
The benefit to the student who switches to this role is invaluable in their future career as a manager.
What is your overall opinion of this scheme?
Excellent, AND it helps to pay their bills!
Names: Angus Sharpe, Rebekah Soanes, Harry Yates, Tommi Coles
Level of study: 2nd Year
Event Name: Meet and Balls
Please give a brief description of your event:
Our event was a football tournament (mixed) and a hog roast. It also involved team building activities trying to build a community for Business School students.
Briefly describe you experiences of the ‘Planning a Successful Event’ module, what you did and how your event progressed.
It was very enjoyable as we worked very well in a team and learnt lots of information relevant to event management. Our event progressed each week by brainstorming and developing our idea. Each week we concentrated on a different part of our event relevant to the week’s lecture.
Why did you choose to run your event and gain academic credit rather than sit another taught module this academic year?
We thought it would be a great learning experience and interesting to do a differently structured module with more independence.
What are you gaining from this experience?
The experience of running an event on a large(ish) scale and all the processes gained from organising an event.
Would you like to see more initiatives run like this, which take your studies beyond the classroom?
Definitely. It gives students a chance to put theory into practice and gain hands-on experience.
What is your general consensus towards this initiative and experience?
A very exciting opportunity which we were very grateful for and enthusiastic about running. It benefits us greatly and looks good on our CVs.
