LSE Workspace Survey

Transcription

1 LSE Workspace Survey The LSESU Research Students Officer commissioned a survey to find out research students opinions of the study space available at LSE. The 165 students (approx. 10% of the research student population) who filled in this survey are from a variety of departments and different years and modes of study and a mixture of those who also teach and those who do not, demonstrating that a cross-section of students experience a high-level of dissatisfaction with the study spaces available. What is your year of study? Year % (46 students) Year % (43 students) Year % (41 students) Year % (26 students) Year 5 or more 4.9% (8 students) Please specify your mode of study Full Time % (158 students)

2 Part Time - 2.7% (6 students) Do you work as a Graduate Teaching Assistant? No % (72 students) Yes % (86 students) Other - 8 students specified that either had previously, will in the future, or currently hold the position at a different university. For example, one student answered This year not, because I am a research assistant, but generally yes. Another said Yes, but at a different university. When studying for your PhD, do you prefer to work on or off-campus? 77.4% (127 students) answered that they preferred to work on-campus, compared to 22.6% (37 students) who preferred to work off-campus. This suggests that research students do want to work on-campus; however responses to other questions indicate that they are not satisfied with the quality of on-campus workspace. If you work on-campus, where do you prefer to work? Please tick all that apply PhD rooms in your department 75.5% 117 Graduate Teaching Assistant rooms in your department 7.1% 11

3 Office space in a research institute 25.8% 40 Dedicated space for PhD students in the library (such as the first floor Fish Tank or 4th floor) 25.2% 39 Non-dedicated space for PhD students in the library 9.7% 15 LSE Student Centre (Saw Swee Hock Student Centre) 1.9% 3 Lincoln s Inn Fields Building 9.7% 15 Other (if so, please specify below) 5.2% 8 Other (please specify) 13 answered question 155 skipped question 9 These results show that research students prefer to work in PhD rooms in their department. Only one third (54) responses indicated that they work in the library, either in a dedicated PhD space, or elsewhere in the library, suggesting that it is not a welcoming environment for research students. One student commented - Every single place on the LSE campus is so busy, cramped, and noisy, that I usually go to the Starbucks on The Strand and sit down in the basement. Why? (because their coffee is terrible?) Because it's the only quiet, spacious area that I can find around LSE to get some good reading done!

4 If you work off-campus, where do you prefer to work? Please tick all that apply At home 88.1% 118 In a University of London library 17.2% 23 At another study space in the University of London 4.5% 6 In a cafe/restaurant 21.6% 29 Other (please specify below) 10.4% 14 Other (please specify) 17 answered question 134 skipped question 30 9 of 17 students who selected Other specified the British Library as their chosen place for offcampus study. LSE would benefit by encouraging more students onto campus in terms of increased satisfaction among the student body, greater opportunities for students from different departments to meet and work together and higher expenditure in LSE commercial outlets. As an SU we should lobby the School on this issue and make research students more aware of other spaces across London that they can work in.

5 How satisfied are you with the work-space available on campus? Completely dissatisfied: not enough space nor good working conditions 30.9% 51 Mildly dissatisfied 30.9% 51 Neutral 6.7% 11 Satisfied 16.4% 27 Very satisfied 13.3% 22 I don't work on campus as I'm unhappy with the space available 6.1% 10 I don't work on campus for other reasons 0.6% 1 Other (please specify) 9 answered question 165 skipped question % of students are either Completely dissatisfied or mildly dissatisfied with the work-space available on campus, alongside 6.1% who said they do not work on-campus as they are not happy with the space available. Comments included: It would be nice to have more QUIET places for research students to work. Chairs are old, there is no specific desk for each and it gets overcrowded! There are, it seems to me, a lot of individual offices for faculty, mostly with doors closed all the time. This sends a very 'closed door' message. Moreover, there simply are not sufficient

6 common rooms for any combination of GTAs and PhDs in my department - there is one, tiny computer room. If you are not satisfied, please specify why Not enough work stations for PhD students 61.7% 74 Work stations have poor working conditions (e.g. too hot/cold, not enough ventilation, windows, working computers, space for laptops, too 75.8% 91 loud/busy) Other (please specify below) 17.5% 21 Other (please specify) 38 answered question 120 skipped question 45 Respondents specified that they were unhappy with the lack of space, but even more so with the poor working conditions, saying that: No windows, no natural light, malfunctioning or non-functioning restroom facilities to the point that they pose a health hazard, no access to kitchen facilities (fridge and microwave) which rockets the cost of meals and everyday expenses. There are simply not good enough facilities for PhD students. There is an important lack of workspace (desks, PCs, etc.). Photocopying and printing is expensive. There is no storage room at all for our stuff. It is actually quite annoying to carry all the books and material needed on a daily basis from home to the university (especially laptops and heavy books).

7 Last but not least, the working conditions are really bad: the library is noisy, hot in summer and freezing in winter. The anthropology PhD space (King's Chambers) is not heated over the weekend. It has flooded on several occasions. The lighting is awful. There are no proper facilities to make coffee, tea, food etc, or a sofa to relax and read on. It's pretty shoddy, all in all. If you think there is not enough work space on campus, what solutions would you like to see? Please tick all that apply Increase adequate work space dedicated to PhD students in departments 84.7% 116 Increase adequate work space dedicated to PhD students in the library 37.2% 51 Increase adequate work space dedicated to PhD students on the LSE campus 43.8% 60 Increase adequate work space in departments and make this available to all students 10.2% 14 Increase adequate work space in library and make this available to all students 7.3% 10 Increase adequate work space on campus and make this available to all students 5.1% 7 Other (please specify) 10 answered question 137 skipped question 28

8 An overwhelming 84% of respondents want increased work space in their own departments, along with 48.8% who would like more work space elsewhere on campus. Respondents commented: I really would like to have a dedicated computer. Right now the office spaces are 'hot desks'. I am dyslectic and it is disturbing when I have to sit in a new environment, especially that I organise visually my papers on the desk and the work to do The precious few work stations there are in my department are often busy with students working on their laptops. That's great, but they are sitting at tables with desktops, thus denying those of us who want to use the computer access. Some tables that have access to outlets, but no desktop computers, and a policy or at least friendly encouragement to use these spaces if you are only working on your laptop would be a HUGE help. It would be great to have a work space, like in an open space office, where you could maybe reserve your place on a week-by-week. This way we could also work with students from other departments and avoid being so alienated. I think this way great conversations could arise.

9 What else would you like to see from your workspace? Please select all that apply Microwave 31.0% 40 Space to eat food 48.1% 62 Social space 38.0% 49 Place to charge phones/laptops 29.5% 38 Have these spaces solely as study environments 45.0% 58 Other (please specify below) 12.4% 16 Other (please specify) 34 answered question 129 skipped question 36 Students clearly want spaces to eat their own food and to be able to use a microwave, however 45% also indicated that they would prefer the spaces solely as study environments, for example one student commented Some basic provision for research students to store and prepare their own food would help as it is expensive to buy in central London, such as a fridge and kettle, perhaps a toaster and microwave. But study spaces should be for studying and separate from social and food preparation / consumption spaces. Therefore it is clear that both social and work spaces need to be improved and made more readily available. Other responses included: Signage to clearly indicate this is for PhD only as there are regular interruptions where we have to explain it s not available to non-phd or to ask for silence as the signs are not effective in communicating it s a silent working area for PhDs.

10 All the chairs are either broken, non-adjustable or take two people to adjust them. We have no kitchen and are told none will ever be available. There's a water fountain but rarely any cups. It's all sending a clear signal that PhD students aren't valued - we're packed into the department's worst spaces, while all the offices sit empty most of the day. I go in occasionally for the camaraderie, but as a working environment it's appalling. If working conditions at LSE were improved for PhD students, would you study and work more on campus? Yes 93.4% 142 No 6.6% 10 Other (please specify) 9 answered question 152 skipped question % of respondents stated that they would study more on-campus if work spaces were to be improved. One student said: With better cooking facilities I would probably stay longer on campus. However it is clear that they are not always aware of the spaces dedicated to PhD students, with 57.7% unaware that there is a dedicated Postgrad Common Room in Lincoln s Inn Fields, and one student answering I was given the impression that this is for Econ students only. More needs to be done to improve this space and advertise it. Did you know that there is a dedicated Postgraduate Common Room in the lower ground of 32 Lincoln's Inn Fields? Yes 42.3% 69 No 57.7% 94 Other (please specify) 6 answered question 163 skipped question 2 Students said: But it is in the basement with no sunlight It's awful though, isn't it? Full of noise, and never a free desk.

11 To make the place more chill-axing friendly, LSE Residential Services has offered to spend 1,000 for additional amenities. Please tick all that you would like to see in your common room. Suggestions for improvement were as follows: Microwave 44.5% 57 Bean bags 25.8% 33 Posters 4.7% 6 Plants 42.2% 54 White board with markers (for your brainstorming needs) 36.7% 47 Additional sofas 57.0% 73 Other suggestions 10.9% 14 Other (please specify) 41 a nswered question 128 skipped question 37 One student said: From my experience our dept. PhD are not looking for a place to chill or relax (if that's your intention), they are seeking a place to work quietly and uninterrupted without having to actively maintain access and noise levels of visitors to the space (not intending to increase informal use of the space, perhaps that is better for the Lincolns Inn room you have, not for the working space in Dept. of Management. Appreciate your efforts to improvements through this survey. Thanks.

12 Microwave and tea/coffee facilities would be fantastic, but that only works if we have access to a sink to wash up plates etc. Our common room doesn't have this and we're not allowed in the staff kitchen. We need more daylight. In conclusion, it is clear from the large number of responses (approx. 10% of PhD students) and the overwhelming number of students who are very dissatisfied with the quality and quantity of works spaces on campus that this needs improving for all students in general and for Research students in particular.