Felix Interviews Formula 1 Engineer Dirk Debeer: Page 6 TECHNOLOGY WHERE DID at the International Technology Show THEY ALL GO? Page 10
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
“Keep the Cat Free” ISSUE 1499 FEELIX 28.10.11 The student voice of Imperial College London since 1949 FROM ENGINEERING TO F1 Felix interviews Formula 1 engineer Dirk DeBeer: Page 6 TECHNOLOGY WHERE DID At the International Technology Show THEY ALL GO? Page 10 University applications fall by 9% across the UK – Page 4 MUSIC KABLAAM: the Felix Music Nights return Page 24 FOOD Imperial Food Awards winners announced Page 34 2 Friday 28 OcTOBER 2011 FELIX HIGHLIGHTS What’s on BEHIND THE SCENES CLASSIFIEDS Felix Sports, trawling through the Looking for Stroud Advanced Engineering Math- Special Evening Concert ematics, Good Condition, Fourth Edition. Will offer latest Wednesday results so you £20. Reply to [email protected] The Coull Quartet will perform Shostakovitch’s Quartet No. 13 and Dvorak’s Quartet in F Op 96 don’t have to Garage in South Kensington requires painting, “The American”. Admission is free – a free glass of call 02078351710 for further information wine will be available before the concert from 17:20 onwards. Gorgeous fi xed gear bike. Shiny black with metal- Holy Trinity Church, Prince Consort lic blue fi ttings. Offers in excess of £350. Email Road [email protected] Tuesday 1 November 17:45–18:30 Jakobs Café (20 Gloucester Road) are currently looking for enthusiastic students with good Eng- lish and presentation skills to serve their custom- Competition ers on a part time basis. Shifts: 12pm to 3pm or 6pm to 9pm (Monday to Sunday) Salary: £7/hour + food. To apply, send your CV to vidhulvinodh@ gmail.com, or phone 07466632915 Just so we’re clear, Felix accepts no responsibility for services bought or sold, capiche? Good. This prized offi ce trinket is pretty representative of the Sports Editors on a Wednesday evening – keep on trucking! In recognition of Wednesday’s Athletics Lolcat of teh week Club Committee Bar Night, why not check out this week’s Sports section? Four pages of reports, interviews and league tables. It’s a hard, impoverished life down here in the offi ce, and our Sports Editors and contributors have to keep pushing right Well lookie here, we’ve only gone and gotten our- up to the deadline to bring you the latest selves two copies of Bad Teacher to give away on DVD. To be in with a chance of bagging yourself a results and listings. Anyway, if Sports copy, simply email [email protected], with the subject ‘DVD PLS’. The winners will be randomly se- isn’t your thing, there’s always the Cryptic lected from all valid entries after 23:59 on Novem- ber 1. The Editor’s decision is fi nal. Bad Teacher is Crossword. And if that isn’t your thing, out on Blu-ray and DVD October 31 courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. While you’re at it, well, I’m beat. head over to www.facebook./BadTeacher.UK.IRE for your chance to win a massive TV, just sayin’. Editor Felix, Beit Quad, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BB. Email: [email protected]. Tel: 020 7594 8072. Fax: 020 7594 8065. Printed by The Harmsworth Printing Ltd, Northcliffe House, Meadow Road, Derby. Registered newspaper ISSN 1040-0711. FELIX Copyright © Felix 2011. Editor-in-Chief Matthew Colvin Deputy Editor Charles Betts News Editors Sophia David Alex Nowbar Reporters Maciej Matuszewski Features Editors Katy Bettany Stephen Smith Sports Editors Indy Leclercq David Wilson Sports Rookies Gabriel Oppetit Johnny Wong Science Editors Kelly Oakes Alexander Karapetian Politics Editors Rajat Jain Joseph Letts Business Editors Beñat Gurrutxaga Lerma Nina Kearsey Technology Editors Chris Bowers Feroz Salam Comment Editors Tim Arbabzadah Samuel Horti Arts Editors Will Prince Eva Rosenthal Music Editors Iñigo Martinez de Rituerto Stephen Smith Fashion Editors Saskia Verhagen Alice Yang Television Editors Matt Allinson James Simpson Film Editors John Park Lucy Wiles Games Editor Laurence Pope Food Editors Anastasia Eleftheriou Michael Krestas Travel Editors Dushi Arumuganesan Chris Richardson Online Editors Chris Birkett Jonathan Kim Kadhim Shubber Puzzles Captain James Hook Photo Editor Miles Robertson Copy Editors Afonso Campos Carol Ann Cheah Philip Kent Jonathan Peek Deepka Rana Eva Rosenthal Annina Sartor FELIX Friday 28 october 2011 3 News Editors: Sophia David Alex Nowbar [email protected] NEWS Union fi rst to provide response to NSS Report unveils move towards better teaching and automated feedback Matthew Colvin Maciej Matsuzewski The Response also emphasises the need for blended learning and technological Imperial College Union has become the innovations. Heath has pointed out that only student union in the UK to publish an while “part of the University’s [full] name offi cial response to the National Student is technology” it has “too often followed” Survey (NSS). A poor performance in this others in this area. He gives Imperial be- this year’s NSS has been widely blamed ing one of “the last to have a mobile app” for the College slipping 11 places in the as an example of this. He believes that Sunday Times League Table for 2012 en- “you can’t be number one if you follow” try. This was the fi rst year of a new meth- and that it is therefore “time to lead”. odology, which places greater weight on As such the Union has recommended the survey, being used to compile the table. that the “College actively encourage and The report – written by Union President reward innovations in teaching methods”, Scott Heath, Deputy President (Educa- pointing to MSc in Strategic Marketing as tion) Jason Parmar and Representation a prime example. An appendix to the re- Coordinator Andrew Keenan – summaris- port, which is available on Parmar’s blog, es the NSS data in an easy to understand outlines how handing out iPads to students format and, in the words of Parmar, “pro- on the course has improved communica- vides 35 Union Recommendations to help tions between them and staff. It explains that “apps such as Goodreader allow stu- dents to make notes on the lecture slides “... [there is] a during teaching [and) let them send an- notations directly to lecturer so they can genuine problem expand or explain points and send them after a lecture as a point for discussion in with the quality of tutorials”. Coursework elements which incorporate “creating Wordpress blogs, teaching at Imperial” making applications, building websites and fi lming videos” were also praised. The report’s authors also believe that improve the Student Experience at Imperi- technological innovations may help the al”. Parmar has written in his offi cial blog College in the area of Assessment and that “the low results in the NSS reveal a Feedback, in which it is currently ranked genuine problem with the quality of teach- 163rd out of 168 by the NSS, with satisfac- Imperial College Union aim to combat Imperial’s low ranking for assessment and feedback in the NSS ing at Imperial” and added that he believes tion at 54%. The Union recommends that that “if college takes on board and effec- “College and the Union work [together] tively implements what this response from on a major project: the creation of a feed- “time and funding in Welcome Week to the Union and student body recommends, back and assessment programme that sim- bring [academic] buddies together” and Sponsored Editorial then we should see a dramatic increase in plifi es and automates the process for staff reforming the Personal Tutor system so the quality of teaching and student satis- and students”. The software would allow that Tutors have regular meetings with faction at Imperial College.” “a marker to instantly type or transcribe their tutees and are “given access to in- The NSS Response reveals that while feedback for each student as they mark”. formation about their … academic pro- student satisfaction with teaching is 83%, The report points out that this “would gression”. The report points out that the More student cuts comparable with previous years, a large prevent administrative delay”, solve “is- suggested feedback software might again number of students believe that staff have sues of legibility of marker’s handwrit- be of use here. not “made the subject interesting”. This is ing” and provide a “method of gathering To allow the Union to oversee the attributed to “lack of variety in teaching reliable cohort-wide information”. Further implementation of these suggestions Discount haircuts for Imperial methods, as well as our institutional stub- suggested improvements in Assessment it has been recommended that “the bornness to embrace new technologies”. and Feedback include making “marker’s Deputy President (Education) and the students at Fresh Hairdressers To combat this, the Union recommends deadlines as compulsory as students’ sub- Union President … sit as full members “transparent and formal training for lectur- mission deadlines” and regularly review- of the Strategic Education Committee”. ers with biennial review” and “solidifying ing coursework to “ensure relevance … Queen’s University Belfast is currently More student cuts for Imperial 0207 823 8968. Ask for a the claimed link between teaching ability and to seek improvement”. the only other Russell Group University students at South Kensington’s student discount and bring your and promotion”. Parmar has told Felix that without student representatives on all FRESH Hairdressers. Imperial ID. it is widely accepted that “the route to pro- academic committees. Heath has said Men’s cuts £22 Cash only. fessorship is that you have to teach”. “... transparent that he believes that this change would Women’s shampoo and cut and Further improvements could be be “very benefi cial” and that student rep- shake dry £28 achieved through “visible, prominent and training for lecturers” resentatives are required “at every level” Women’s shampoo, cut and prestigious” student-led teaching awards of the College educational structure.