Sussex student creates survey to help students air concerns about online teaching

Do you feel supported by the Sussex administration?


Recently students from the University of Sussex have been voicing their concerns with the University’s decision to move a number of courses online.

One student who feels particularly let down by the administration is Demetri Lewis, a second year psychology and neuroscience student. Like many others, Demetri feels that the administration has failed to provide students with appropriate support throughout the Covid-19 health emergency.

Demetri exclusively spoke to The Sussex Tab about his concerns, and revealed that he wanted to help his peers by circulating a survey to give a platform for students to express their sentiments over a number of topics, ranging from mental health to quality of education. He told The Sussex Tab that he intends to take the results to the University administration.

Demetri created the survey following the outcome of a petition that gathered over 200,000 signatures, requesting full or partial refunds of tuition fees from higher education institutions in the UK. “My investigation stems from the government’s response to this petition” he shared, referring to a government issued statement. “Higher education providers must deliver high-quality courses. If students are unhappy, they should first complain to their provider”, pushing Demetri to take matters into his own hands.

The survey will therefore serve two purposes: it will gather information on individual’s experiences and their opinion on the handling of the ongoing situation, and it will gauge whether students, if dissatisfied with their online courses, would be interested in seeking a full or partial refund of their yearly tuition fee from the University. By completing this survey, students would help Demetri gather anonymous opinions, which will clarify the course of action to be taken by the student body.

A spokesperson for the University said: “Despite the impact of Covid-19, in the first three weeks of term, around 30 per cent of our teaching activities have been in person … we have committed to provide 11 hours of live, interactive learning  for each module during for this semester. This won’t be necessarily evenly spread.

“We have heard from a small group of students that the face-to-face element of their course hasn’t happened yet, or they can’t see the sessions in their timetable. We encourage these students to speak with their Course Convenor, as it is likely that the face-to-face part of their course will be updated in their timetables as sessions are scheduled.”

Please take the time to complete the survey found here.

If you would like any further information regarding the cause, contact Demetri at: [email protected] or @_neuro_studies