Two motions to campaign for lecture materials to be made more readily available and accessible have been passed at SU Council.
The first motion on accessibility proposed that the Student’s Union campaign for lecturers to ensure that their slides are in sans serif fonts and have plain backgrounds. The motion, proposed by Education Officer Dale Whelahan, acknowledged that many lecturers used non-accessible fonts and background colours which can cause issues for students with disabilities.
The second motion on availability proposed that the Education Officer and faculty convenors campaign for lecturers to make all class slides and materials such as physical handouts available to class reps for dissemination. The motion proposes alternatively that officers could urge lecturers to upload all class materials to Blackboard. Lecturers currently are not required to post their lecture notes online, with the motion stating that this is because slides often “are not properly referenced and could cause legal dispute”.
Another education related motion to lobby for the Library to permit stacks rental books to be taken out of the library by all students failed. Council members speaking against the motion cited the issue of graffiti and the risk of materials going missing as reasons to reject the motion.
