Birkbeck, University of London
Reviewed by Jed Keenan who studied Undergraduate BSc Community Development & Public Policy in 2010.
What was really good about the experience?
The library is really good and fellow students offer a great deal to the learning.
| The University | |
|---|---|
| Overall |
|
| Teaching quality |
|
| Access to teaching staff |
|
| IT facilities |
|
| Library facilities |
|
| Sports facilities |
|
| Social life |
|
| The City or Surrounding Area | |
|---|---|
| Shopping |
|
| Social life |
|
| Sports facilities |
|
What could be improved?
Covering Freirean pedagogy by way of PowerPoint, bullet pointed lecture notes read from the screen or the projection and 'handouts' being the same, or Ivan Illich 'Solution - deschooling' for that matter, was comedy gold. Two years of the same with two more of the same. This is zero teaching skills or effort or poor management and low paid poorly motivated casualised staff. More painful for anybody with a professional background in performance and presentation, 15 years in television production and post production, but everybody is feeling it. No illustrations and reading what is projected, wow! Does anybody know that 7 is the maximum bullet points before the brain turns off, closes the curtains and goes to bed? Handouts that make no sense at all when not part of a presentation 'Social democratic perspective * Economic growth' or 'Criticisms of Neoliberal approaches * Competition in different areas' and a couple of hundred other examples. Student engagement is also amazingly patchy, especially for an undergraduate course in of all subjects, Community Development, in fact there is no process of praxis at all by the administration, staff or students and so no critical awareness of our own condition on the one course where it is expected to be most developed. Finally, examples of work by previous students provided to demonstrate the requirements of set coursework are inexplicably of a pass standard.
Reviewed by Gordon Nigel McIntosh who studied Postgraduate MA Psychosocial Studies in 2009.
What was really good about the experience?
Location, Evening study.
| The University | |
|---|---|
| Overall |
|
| Teaching quality |
|
| Access to teaching staff |
|
| IT facilities |
|
| Library facilities |
|
| Sports facilities |
|
| Social life |
|
| University Accommodation | |
| Quality |
|
| Availability |
|
| Value for money |
|
| The City or Surrounding Area | |
|---|---|
| Shopping |
|
| Social life |
|
| Sports facilities |
|
What could be improved?
Drop elitist attitude. This College has become arrogant, commercial and insular. I did my first degre here several years ago before it 'expanded', it used to be personable and focused on the Student, it is now a stark and pompus establishment, staff are more concerned with their own Ego's than the average students progeress. A neglecting and Unhappy year, with little support and money and bums on seats taking precedence over quality and inclusiveness.
Contact the University
| Web |
|
|---|---|
|
|
| Phone |
|
| Address |
|
|---|
Content was accurate at the time of compilation.
@compuniguide
on.fb.me/compuniguide