Listen up, academic weapons. Whether you’re part of the furniture here at Otago or brand-spanking new to our beautiful university, you should care about the accessibility of your education. That’s right, we’re talking lecture recordings and paid placements.
Let’s start with lecture recordings. Here’s the deal: at UoO, they’re not compulsory. It’s entirely up to your lecturer whether they hit record or not. If your lectures aren’t recorded, never fear – OUSA is working with the University to develop a policy that ensures students have access to lecture recordings, with closed captioning.
Why does this matter? Because mandatory lecture recordings would give students the flexibility to work part-time, stay home when they’re sick, and learn at their own pace. The biggest predictor of student success is engagement with content, and making lectures accessible is a no-brainer way to improve engagement.
Now, let’s talk about paid placements. The fact that students are not paid for the work they do on placement is ridiculous. Did you know that it can take a teacher 9.5 years after starting their degree for their cumulative salary to overtake that of a minimum-wage worker? That’s largely because of unpaid placement requirements.
Students in unpaid placements provide free labour while also paying for additional costs such as uniforms, travel, and accommodation away from home. They’re often also discouraged from finding paid work due to their course workload. No one should be pushed into financial hardship just to complete their degree. Have you ever considered how an unpaid placement could affect you? If not, now’s the time to start that conversation with your mates.
These aren’t small issues, they impact real students every day. OUSA is already pushing for change, but the more voices behind us, the louder we are. So get talking. Get fired up. And let’s make some noise. If you want to tell OUSA about how the lack of lecture recordings or paid placements has affected you, you can email academic@ousa.org.nz
Play hard, study harder Otago.
Stella Lynch
Academic Rep