The Great Debate - Is the University offering too little contact hours?

Students often complain about limited contact hours at Surrey, with many receiving fewer than 10 hours per week. With the introduction of £9,000 tuition fees next year, is the University offering too little for too much?

1: Student contact hours are seen as vital in order to achieve results of excellence. However, with the recent reduction of contact between students and module leaders to ten hours at the University of Surrey, are future students going in for less than they are entitled?

Following the increase in tuition fees to £9000 a year, students will undoubtedly want to get the most out of its cost. Although independent learning is encouraged as well as study groups, the necessity of contact hours with module tutors remains.

Students strive for excellence, and that can only be achieved through direct contact with the lecturers. Yes, it is worth highlighting that the advancement of technology means students can present their ideas and concerns through e-mails, however, should that be the reason for restricting contact time to just ten hours or less?

Samantha Pearce, a level one Politics student comments that although the reduction in contact hours may not be beneficial to many, university is in essence not just about the contact hours. Thus, although there is an increase in tuition fees and a reduction in contact hours, more ways of achieving excellence can be sought.

Moreover, Samantha argues that although education is something that a price cannot be put on, the reduction in contact hours may not go down very well. She comments that various courses require different interaction, and if the latter is being reduced to the bare minimum, it could be problematic.

Consequently, in terms of the increase in fees, she argues that measuring from the course which she is studying, having only eight contact hours a week does not correspond to the current fee she is paying – the argument being that in hindsight she is paying a steep price.

The unhappiness of the students is justifiable since module leaders’ help towards achieving the best results. With the reduction of contact hours, and the increase of fees, has the possibility of reduction in overall performance been considered? Since they are being reduced to merely ten hours, the necessity of clearing out topics will increase. So is the university essentially going in for a catch 22?

2: I have taught at Surrey, in FAHS, for two years, and offer a personal response only. I do not speak for the University, any department, and have no understanding of matters outside FAHS.

I write only to offer some advice. I note the concern about ‘limited contact hours’. As an undergraduate, in the 1990s, I received fewer contact hours than what my students currently receive at Surrey. However, I had the benefit of a grant and I appreciate your concern. Nevertheless, I am not sure that many students really utilize the time they are offered with academic staff. I am thinking, in particular, of staff office hours.

I think perhaps there is a misconception that staff office hours are to be used only when absolutely necessary, when a student is panicking with an imminent essay deadline and is on the point of a breakdown. This is not the case. I set aside two hours each week when any student, in my department, is welcome to come and talk to me about any academic matters. So far, this term, only one student has done this. I would be delighted, during these assigned hours, to talk with students about their essays, their reading, or anything else as long as it is roughly connected to their course of study, but my office remains silent, save for the turning of the pages as I read and wait to see if any students will come and see me this week!

3: I’m in my first year at the uni, and my course currently has only 8 1/2 contact hours a week, and this is reduced each year. Speaking to some third years, they are only required in lectures for 3 hours a week. Understandably, university isn’t about being spoon fed but rather investing your own time and effort into independent study. However, the structure of your own study is linked to the way in which you have understood and connected with work from lectures. I find myself surrounded by text books but with no sense of where to start as they appear to have no relevance to my current studies – if there was more than one class per week per module, I would have a greater understanding of where the course was going and could study accordingly. Though I’m not paying the higher fees, I still feel somewhat cheated that my £3,500 a year is going towards more time outside of class than in.

4: The fact some courses have virtually no contact time with lecturers at this University is disgraceful. We pay hefty fees (increasing substantially next year) – what are we really getting for our money if we receive barely any contact time..?

I could understand people arguing for the idea that some courses do need that extra time to read and research; but, really ‘30-40’ hours? Surely we could have more useful support such as tutorials specifically designed to support our writing / studies etc. Yes, they do have people at Splash to assist us but they do not have the same knowledge base as the lecturers themselves or people heavily involved in the subject. I think we are being short-changed in our education by receiving so little input from the people employed to teach us.