I often read on TSR that students don't have the contact hours with staff that they expect, be that for lectures, revision, one-to-one support etc. I've been working in a uni for a few months now and I'm wondering what is expected from an increase in these hours?
Lecturers at my uni have recently been complaining that they've held revision sessions for the summer exams and only a handful of students turned up - sometimes none. I've been sharing an office with five members of teaching staff since the start of the year. The same dozen students are regular visitors. Apart from that we rarely see the rest of the cohort, despite all staff having set hours each week for student one-to-ones, and most accepting random drop-in chats whenever possible.
Students on TSR - and at my uni - are complaining that they're not getting enough contact time. But when offered it at my uni, most don't seem inclined to use it - and yet will still complain in surveys that they don't get enough of it.
I'm interested in what people actually want from their contact time with staff. Is it a different type of communication or teaching? If so, what? How can unis make this better? Unis clearly need to change, but at the moment, mine can't get a clear steer from the students as to what it is they need, because the students don't seem to know and can only give vague answers about more contact time and better value for money. What would that be for you? What would you want?