The Exeter Award encourages students to take part in a wide range of extra curricular activities to enhance skills and improve employment opportunities after graduation.Studying here
Active learning and innovative teaching
At the University of Exeter, we provide you with an educational environment where you become part of a vibrant learning community and in which research inspires and leads our teaching. ‘Inspiring’ is the word most commonly used by our student body to describe their lecturers and we see students as our partners in the learning process; our learning, teaching style and ethos encourage class participation and active reflection by students.
You should expect to be an active contributor in seminars, tutorials and online learning environments. In addition, you will be guided and supported by tutors to become increasingly independent in your learning. You’ll also be encouraged to take part in a wide range of extra curricular and employment related activities which will enhance your skills and contribute to your opportunities after you graduate. We recognise this activity through the very popular Exeter Award Scheme.
Innovative teaching and assessment methods balanced with well-established approaches create a stimulating and effective learning environment. You’ll learn through popular and time-honoured traditional methods including lectures, seminars and tutorials as well as field work, laboratory classes and IT sessions depending on your degree programme. However, you’ll find that you’re also involved in using new technologies which complement the contact you have with tutors in the majority of our programmes.
Technology-enhanced learning is possible because the University has invested heavily in an interactive online learning environment (ELE – the Exeter Learning Environment) which encourages blogging, online discussion forums and virtual field trips as well as hosting all the materials and notes, including e-books and e-journals, for your modules and increasingly, video archives of lectures. Our facilities for videoconferencing and webcasting allow students on different campuses to share learning experiences and to review sessions in their own time and at their own pace. This creates opportunities for you to personalise the experience to meet your own needs.
Working in partnership
Through the Students as Change Agents project the University works in partnership with the student body to continuously improve the learning and teaching experience and most degree programmes have a Staff-Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) where students’ recommendations for change are embedded into strategic planning and action. We welcome students as our partners in developing our programmes and our methods of learning. Through our UK-leading ExChange programme we provide support to the SSLCs to allow the students to undertake change agent projects and this further benefits the development of our programmes. Student Learning Partnerships are currently being developed with the Students’ Guild to further develop these principles and they will offer a two-way exchange between what we expect of you as one of our students and what we promise to deliver as part of your overall student experience.
Personal tutors
We are committed to a system of personal tutoring so that students receive the individual support and advice they need to succeed in their study here. All students have a personal tutor who is there to support you and help you deal with any problems or issues that arise.
The variety of teaching methods, topics and the teaching
environment throughout the year has helped me to thoroughly enjoy my
first year at university, as well as encouraging me to work to my best
abilities.
Undergraduate in Engineering
I really enjoyed the tutorials as informal discussion was allowed so you didn't feel afraid to speak up. This also allowed me to make a lot of friends who were in my tutor group making group work a lot easier and more enjoyable.
Undergraduate in Geography
The communication between students and teaching staff is excellent; information about all aspects of student affairs is clear and available; feedback is good; lectures are of a very high quality and understandable; and employment opportunities are brilliant.
Undergraduate in Psychology
At Exeter you have the chance to do so much more in your subject than simply doing the reading and going to the lectures – you can shape your programme and improve the learning experience for yourself and your fellow students. Being a course representative or an agent for change empowers you to find improvements in everything the university does and to see your changes implemented, and the voice of every student is heard and acted upon.
As Vice President of the Students’ Guild I represent every student who studies here, ensuring that your learning experience is at the heart of everything we do. I am your link between the student body and the University; so when you have an idea or a problem which needs solving you can come to me and I’ll make sure the right person listens.
The quality of our new students increases every year, but so does the quality of our graduates. The ‘Academic Affairs’ part of my title means that I am the student representative responsible for ensuring the quality of your education and your employment prospects of the future. Our students and our graduates are world class, and this comes from the high standard of support and encouragement available both inside and outside the classroom whilst you are here.
Bertie Archer, Students’ Guild Vice President Academic Affairs
