DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING
STAFF STUDENT COMMITTEE
MEETING 26th October 2017
Committee Members:
Staff / Students• Dr. Kristel Fobelets (DUGS)
• Esther Perea (Senior Tutor)
• Dr. David Thomas (EIE Director)
• Adria Junyent-Ferre (1st year organizer)
• Dr. Tim Constandinou (2nd year organizer)
• Dr. Steve Wright (3rd year organizer)
• Dr. Clarke (4th year organizer)
• Lina Brazinskaite (Undergraduate Administration)
• Clare Drysdale (Undergraduate Administration)
• Xiao, Xiangming (Computer Systems Technical Manager)
• Ed Stott (1st year lab organiser)
• Andy Paice (Facilities manager) / Dep. Reps: Kaan Giray (EEE) Karmanya Sareen (EEE) chairing today’s meeting, Mwanakombo Hussein (EIE)
4th year reps: (EIE), Andrei Pogan (EET)
3rd year reps: Mikkel Jordahn (EIE), Daniel Williams (EET)
2nd year reps: Omar Muttawa (EEE), Xinyuan Xu (EEE), Alessandro Serena (EIE)
1st year reps: Joao Baptista (EEE), Kanav Agarwal (EEE), Adam Urban(EIE)
EEE
Sanjana Ganguly (Dep Rep for Well Being)Raj Jain (Year 1 rep for well-being)
Sofija Dimoska (Year 2 rep for well-being)
Zoe Slattery (Dep Wellbeing Rep EIE)
-Koral Hassan (President, EESoc)
Apologies received from: E. Perea (Senior Tutor), Andy Paice (Facilities manager)
Absent: Zoe Slattery, Xiangming Xiao, Koral Hassan
Matters arising from previous meeting: (5-10min)
KS introduced himself and everyone in the meeting explaining that Wellbeing reps have joined SSC.
1. Telephone booths/egg chairs
ACTION 1/17/2 KF to speak to Andy about location of telephone booths and report it to SSC.
Phone boots are fairly large. There needs to be confirmation from fire office where it is safe to mount them on floors 3,4,5,6.
ACTION 3/17/1 Andy Paice will speak to Dept. reps about best location of phone booths and Andy then get approval from fire office.
In APs absence, LB has reported that installation of telephone booths will depend on this year’s budget, which AP did not have at this moment.
ACTION CLOSED as suggested by Chair and KF.
- Coursework submission deadlines:
· no early morning deadlines,
· late pick up of submitted work by staff
· only online submissions,
ACTION 3/17/2 – all year reps to run a poll to get students opinion about deadlines.
ACTION CLOSED
- Digital logbooks in labs
ACTION 3/17/3 – Year reps to run a survey on how many students use their own devices in labs.
OM reported poll results for 2nd years. Only 2 people said they used laptops from stores regularly. 60 said they use their own device. DW – 3rd year poll results – 50 use their own device, 35 desktop, 1 borrows laptop from stores regularly. Thus the majority of students own an electronic device and the few who don’t can find one on loan.
KF reminded that the Department has bought more HPs in view of the e-labbooks requirement. A few students who cannot afford to buy their own at the moment can borrow laptops for 2 weeks at a time, just like library books. ES has taken action over the summer term to publish using one-note as e-labbook option (https://www.onenote.com).
ES has asked for feedback on electronic labbooks use to evaluate how to progress with this in the future. Note that labbooks are for data recording such that results can be easily re-interpreted. Different types of recordings are acceptable as it is a tool for quick data check up.
Concerning the safety of data on own and loaned electronic devices, TC reiterated that equipment use is student’s responsibility in case of loss of e.g. CW. Cloud back-up should always be used. This is one of the basic data safety principles of e-information which students are expected to use.
ACTION CLOSED.
OM wanted clarification on logbook submission times to 2nd years.
ACTION 26/10/17/1 – 2nd year lab organiser to inform students of logbook submission deadlines.
KF reminded students that they carry responsibility for their data’s safety on whatever device and format they use. Imperial college has many facilities to ensure data back-ups can be made and students are expected to use these facilities (e.g. cloud, drop box, box…). The department is not responsible for students’ data unless the cloud storage infrastructure collapses. In that case it is ICT’s responsibility. Any loss of CW will be student’s responsibility and students are advised to make backups in a timely manner. Mitigating circumstances associated to any data loss require evidence via screen shots and a face-to-face meeting with the senior tutor. Concerning the use of one-note, KF mentioned that students can select their own recording method, one-note is recommended but use of other platforms is acceptable unless otherwise prescribed in the lab manuals.
ACTION 3/17/14 – KF encourage colleagues to use electronic submission.
ACTION closed.
KF has written rules and regulations for CW that is available online on staff pages: http://www.imperial.ac.uk/electrical-engineering/internal/for-staff/coursework-regulations/. The document informs on how much time CW should take to complete (based on ECTS credits) and also inform on how to conduct informed negotiations about shifting coursework deadlines. The document also included the new late CW submission policy that states that CW submitted within 24hrs after deadline will be capped at 40%. KF informed staff of this new policy twice during the last 2 staff meetings.
ACTION 26/10/17/2 – reps to inform students where to find CW regulations. http://www.imperial.ac.uk/electrical-engineering/internal/for-staff/coursework-regulations/
Student matters
1. 'Software Engineering Curriculum at Imperial College' (10-15min)
Need to review the current software engineering curriculum in the first two years according to the needs of the students and the industry. Also, we can include more options in third/fourth year relating to software engineering.
KG thinks that there is a great opportunity for student input in curriculum redesign. KF encourages student contribution on curriculum redesign. Meetings with students were conducted in the past via interviews with management trainees. Currently, a teaching fellows group under the lead of KF and TD are looking into how the curriculum should change. The suggestion is to combine 1st year EEE & EIE in order to ensure that 1) all students obtain a good software foundation and 2) all students are aware of the difference between EEE and EIE before having to make a choice in 2nd year. This group will report to the curriculum strategy group and a curriculum student team group (via workshops). Invitations to join the curriculum team group are expected by the middle of November/early December.
Concerning the overall curriculum restructuring, KF informed that the general feeling is that 3rd year runs quite nicely and no change is needed. Since this structure is successful, consideration should be given to restructuring 4th year into coursework assessed autumn term and exam accessed spring term with FYP starting in autumn term, increasing in focus in spring term and total dedication in summer term. KF set Oct 2019 as the start of the new 1st year curriculum, which is ambitious. She explained that the new structure should be approved by the faculty of engineering education committee with Senate making the final decision by April 2018.
Discussions concerning software teaching: DW added that Artificial Intelligence might be slightly irrelevant to current industry AI content and thus might have to be considered as a 4th year rather than a 3rd year module.
DT – wanted clarification on what student understand by “software engineering”? KG gave scripting language as an example. Students have no knowledge of it by the end of 4th year. DT asked if KG though that students wanted more applied skills? KG responded positive.
TC thinks that scripting languages is easy to learn on placements and practice. We should have resources but not necessarily modules teaching such topics.
KF suggested that specific skills should be looked into during curriculum review. This is an item that falls under the new skills training syllabus that is being considered in the curriculum review strategy. The students will be invited to add their opinion on items that will fall under skills training.
Since this year (2017-18) AI will not be taught in the 3rd year (lecturer on sabbatical), but students can take this module in 4th year or follow an on-line module to cover the subject, it has been agreed that the department will reimburse the cost of obtaining a completion certificate of this module for the 2017-18 academic year only. DW requested whether this could be extended to future year and a larger number of on-line modules.
KF pointed out that number of module offers is very high at ICL, higher than other UK institutions and that students are aware of the offering when they enter the course. Therefore an extension of this exceptional agreement to other modules or others year will not be granted.
- 'Coffee Vending Machine for the Undergraduates (3-5min)
KF said that in addition to the cap machine in room 502 that level 5 labs should now have the same coffee machine as 502 or will be receiving this very soon. KF explained to the students that Dept. gets coffee machines, like the old one, on loan. Old coffee machine was given back to the company. The issue with that machine was that coffee & hot chocolate was regularly stolen by its users. Dept. will obtain an enclosed machine in the future. New machine will need access to water and electricity, which is currently not available in 502. Currently, building regulations forbid the use of 1st floor under stairs are as it is open and derby can be dropped from higher floors and harm students below. Discussion about use of 1st floor under stairs space is taking place in the college. Dept. has already submitted proposal to the college. Dept. thinks that college should pay to make this space usable. We have reached deadlock and students’ help is needed. KF has asked students to speak to the union and maybe to Omar Matar (vice-dean for education), Simone Buitendijk (Vice-provost for education) to put pressure on college/facilities.
KF also reminded students that milk, instant coffee, tea is already provided by the dept. in room 502 but it is not limitless.
DW noted that level 5 does have coffee machine. The facilities have not been taken away but are replaced by temporary facilities in room 502. Some students might not be aware that it has been moved to 502.
ACTION 26/10/17/3 – Dept reps should speak to union and maybe to Omar Matar (vice-dean for education), Simone Buitendijk (Vice-provost for education) to put pressure on college/facilities in order to approve usage of 1st floor under floor space for student use.
ACTIONS 26/10/17/4 - Year reps should tell students that coffee facilities are available in 502 and will be made available in the level 5 lunch area.
- Availability of meeting rooms in the EEE buildings to the students (3-4min)
It was suggested by staff that students should open the doors to see if anyone was inside a classroom. SW said that if the room is not used for teaching then students can use it.
SW will see if Celcat can be used to display timetables on screens so students can see which rooms are not being used. SW has seen this available in other dept. in the college.
KF informed students that new refurbished study area has a meeting room (ex-coffee room).
ACTION 26/10/17/5 – SW to check with timetabling team regarding displaying room availability on TV screens.
ACTION 26/10/17/6 – Full timetable is available on dept. webpage under ‘For current students’ and then ‘Timetables’ - http://www2.ee.ic.ac.uk/timetable/Autumn17/d307index.html. Year reps to tell students about this link as that will show available space.
- Floor 6 study area for 3rd and 4th Year students (3-5min)
KF noted that if 1st & 2nd year students do not object then everyone should be able to use new study area.
AP noted that everyone thinks it is library and not cohort space anyway so this should not cause issues. 1st & 2nd years use 1st floor labs/3rd year computer rooms and 3rd & 4th use 5th floor labs.
5. Well Being Reps' attendance to SSC meetings (3-5min)
KF thought that this was a student matter so they should decide. She suggested to follow the rules that union set out and cautioned wellbeing reps not to carry more responsibility than they can as it is quite complicated and hard job.
KS notes that union will be providing training to wellbeing reps.
It was decided that all Wellbeing reps should meet with senior tutor & KF and only 2 Wellbeing reps (1 from EEE & 1 EIE) should attend SSC meeting.
ACTION 26/10/17/7 – Senior tutor to set up regular meeting Wellbeing reps and KF. Wellbeing reps should meet with dept. reps regularly for updates – dept. reps to set up meetings.
6. Panopto training for Year Reps (1-2min)
KS said that 7 year reps were interested in Panopto training.
TC is happy to provide training but need to schedule training based on student availability. 8:30am or 6pm would work best for him. It will take around 20 min.
ACTION 26/10/17/8 – Dept. reps to get year rep interested in Panotpo training availability and report to Dr. Clarke.
Staff Matters
KF – no management stream representative, nor Yr 4 EIE representative. Management students seemed to be the most dissatisfied stream and dept. does not know why. In order to solve problems (Management stream dissatisfaction) we need to know and understand the issue. KF urged dept. & year reps to do something about it. In-house election needs to be discussed with union.
KS speculated that due to high number of BPES modules being taken online Management stream students do not meet each other students as often as Technical stream students. KF informs that business modules are seen as strong by the overall student cohort taking these options, thus this is probably not the cause of the “unhappiness”. The performance of the different courses can be compared on the unistats website: https://unistats.ac.uk.
MJ think that students don’t think that SSC can make a change. Only 8 students voted for him. It is important that Dept. reps report any changes made due to SSC to the whole student cohort so they feel like they are being listened to.
KF said that she sends an email to students with updates but only maybe once or twice a year.