Your Feedback

Closing the feedback loop

Find out about how your feedback has lead to real improvements in university teaching, services and facilities. 

Libraries

We understand how important it is to find a comfortable and quiet space to study, especially during assessment periods. That’s why our staff are on hand to help you locate available study areas when things get busy. We closely monitor occupancy levels, and we’re pleased to say that since 2020 our libraries have never reached full capacity.

We have transformed the social learning space on Level 2 of the Philip Robinson Library. We've given it a vibrant new look with contemporary furniture and a layout designed to support a range of study styles. You asked for more of what works - and we delivered:

• tables with integrated power and charging ports
• warm natural colours
• comfortable seating
• modern design

The new space now includes built-in group desks with low seating and task lighting. We've also added individual high stools with counter-style worktops ideal for laptop use.

We have installed fourteen new single person booths in the Philip Robinson Library, eight on Level 3 and six on Level 4.

The Walton Library’s Glen space has also been updated with a mix of different furniture including study booths for individual study and informal furniture configurations for collaborative working. We've also upgraded the windows with secondary glazing to provide a warm, safe and cosy environment for study, year-round.

Height adjustable desks are also available in all our buildings. We have installed six new height adjustable desks on Level 4 of the Philip Robinson Library, increasing options to tailor desk height to your comfort. All our operator chairs feature fully adjustable height, back and seat options.

You also mentioned that students are using their own devices on desks with PCs, so we're expanding our "Bring Your Own Device" provision by increasing the number of docking stations across our libraries.  This means you can connect your own laptop to a large monitor for a more comfortable and productive study experience. 

We’ll continue to monitor how all our study spaces are used and gather feedback to inform future refurbishments. So please keep sharing your thoughts - they help us create spaces that work better for everyone.

To make planning easier, you can book study spaces in advance or check how busy each library is in real time via the library website.

We’re also working closely with other parts of the University to improve how study space availability is signposted across campus - making it easier for you to find the right spot when you need it most.

Wellbeing

The Student Health & Wellbeing Service supports you to maximise your academic potential and help you gain the most from your time and studies at Newcastle. Student Support Plans (SSPs) ensure that reasonable adjustments are considered for the educative environment where required.

SSPs have now been moved to a digital platform that enables easier access for both students and staff. This is part of an ongoing project designed to significantly speed up effective dissemination of SSPs.

You said that you were struggling to find availability with your Student Wellbeing Advisor (SWA). We now have SWA drop-ins twice a week in King’s Gate - no appointment needed. Come and speak to a SWA from your faculty on Tuesdays (11am-1pm) and Thursdays (1pm-3pm).

SWAs are also now working in small faculty groups. This means if the SWA associated with your school is not available, then you can book an appointment with a different SWA within the faculty group.

You mentioned that it can be confusing knowing how to contact Wellbeing, or which service you need. There is now one main route into wellbeing services via the “request wellbeing support” accessible from every page on our website. You are not required to know which part of the service you need - just let us know what you need help with and we’ll direct you to the best source of support.

Student life

We know that the University can feel like a huge place and it’s not always easy to navigate the information we share or find the support you need. We have reviewed our student webpage to make it easier to find the content you are looking for. We have improved site navigation to help you find important information. We have also themed our newsletters around academic support, wellbeing and safety and security messaging. This should help you refer back to past newsletters when you need to find out more about the services available.

Each February, we email all taught programme students to remind them of the support available from a variety of channels, including:

• Academic Advisers

• School-based Student Wellbeing Advisers

• Health & Wellbeing Services

• the Careers Service

• other support teams

This example email sent to students in the Law School shows the type of information included. If you are an undergraduate or postgraduate taught student, you will have received a similar email to your University email address on Wednesday 4 February 2026.

You will see that we have made changes to our Student Life Newsletter to make it easier for you to pick out events and essential information.

You have told us that you like to hear about our events on social media, so please also follow our Instagram accounts for the Careers Service and START UP.

We are looking into our segmentation of our student communications based on the location and types of studies that you are undertaking. This means that our newsletters should become much more relevant to you.

We have also created a Student Communities webpage that brings together useful information for different student groups such as commuter students, student parents and mature students. 

Estates and facilities

The University is currently undertaking an Estates Optimisation project that will look into issues such as:

• the distance between campus facilities

• the facilities available within study spaces

The initial plan is to outline the actions we need to take to ensure our estate aligns with our strategic goals. Our vision is to create an estate that maintains its unique character but works smarter by being more sustainable and being future proofed to support the needs of high quality education and research.

You asked about opening hours for University buildings. Limitations on operating hours for buildings are in place for several reasons including:

• safety/ security
• energy efficiency
• work towards meeting the University's carbon reduction targets

Opening hours of University buildings are managed by Schools/Faculties. The Estates Optimisation study will look into a joined-up approach to out of hours provision.

You also asked us about parking spaces for commuting students. Unfortunately as we're very limited on available parking spaces on campus, we're unable to reserve parking bays for students in a fair way.  However, you can see available parking spaces on Parkopedia.

IT Service (NUIT)

We aim to improve Wi-Fi coverage across the University as part of our Network Transformation Programme. This project is the single biggest investment in IT infrastructure the University has ever made.

The existing network is reaching the end of its service life. We will replace it with a modern network across central campus, satellite sites, NUMed and NewRIIS. This will deliver significant improvements to our Wi-Fi service including:

• increased Wi-Fi availability
• secure environments for researchers
• the ability to isolate and shut down any future cyber-attacks more quickly and effectively

Over the coming years, we will fit every bedroom in University student accommodation with its own Wi-Fi device, giving students an improved internet experience. Work is expected to start in 2026 and continue over the next few years.

Students are encouraged to continue reporting any issues with campus Wi-Fi via NU Service. Help to get connected on mobile, laptop or tablet is available at the IT Service Support Hubs in the Philip Robinson Library and the Frederick Douglass Building. Guidance can also be found at our Campus Wi-Fi page on the IT Service website.

Careers

You fed back that you'd like our careers events to have a wider variety of options available. We are changing our approach this year and will be inviting key employers from a range of sectors to our Autumn Graduate Recruitment and Placements Fair.

We are also working with Faculties and Schools on a number of subject-specific and industry themed employer events and pop-ups throughout the year. 

To help raise awareness of the resources offered by our Careers Service, we've offered each School a funded Employability Engagement Intern. These interns will work closely with School staff and the Careers Service, helping to improve visibility and engagement by promoting:

• careers-related events
• opportunities
• careers support

To help with demand for appointments with the Careers Service, we have introduced additional appointments during peak periods. During busy times we also reserve a number of appointments for urgent enquiries that are only released the day before. Please see our Careers support page for information on how to book appointments.

Assessment and feedback

You told us you wanted more information about assessments and feedback. To improve clarity, consistency, and accessibility we have created the Assessment, Feedback and Marking policy. The policy ensures that all assessments:

• are accompanied by an assessment brief, with explicit requirements for what information this must include
• set out clear feedback expectations at the start of every module in a synchronous session and on the Virtual Learning Environment (e.g. Canvas)
• outline what feedback to expect across the module for each assessment, and from which sources (educator, self or peer)

You also asked us about what happens to courses following your feedback. We have asked colleagues to establish and regularly update a “You Said: We Listened” page on the Virtual Learning Environment (e.g. Canvas) community space. This should be easily accessible and used to respond to your feedback, including the action taken where appropriate. 

These pages draw from all sources of student feedback, including: 

• modules and programmes
• surveys
• teaching sessions
• student representatives
• Student Staff Committees

We hope you will see how we value, engage with and act upon your input, and support us to consistently ‘close the feedback loop’ across the University.

Catering

We have recently introduced the Upay App. It lets you pay for food and drink quickly and securely across all university cafés. But it’s more than just a payment app - it gives you access to exclusive discounts, loyalty rewards and offers to help your budget go further. Download the Upay app today for Apple or from Google Play and use it to save money and get rewards whenever you eat or drink on campus. Through the Upay App, you get:

• 10% off all food and drink for students when you pay using the app
• buy 9 hot drinks, get your 10th one FREE - perfect for coffee lovers
• monthly exclusive offers and early-bird discounts
• top-ups can be made by you or a parent, so there’s always a safety net
• track your spending and reward points easily in the app
• completely cashless - quicker queues and less to carry
• supports your budget - more value, not more spending

Also, following your feedback, we have now removed any additional charges for extra sauce sachets at our campus cafes.

Pastoral support

To improve support for neurodiverse students, exam invigilators will receive bespoke training from Disability Practitioners. This will help to raise awareness and understanding of the challenges that students may face when taking exams. This training covers how to help students with:

• impairments
• disabilities
• health conditions
• neurodiversity and/or specific learning differences/difficulties

The training aims to empower invigilators to support all students to ensure you can perform to the best of your ability.

You also asked us about requesting exam scheduling consideration for religious observance. We have now set up a new process for this. For more information, please visit our inclusive exam arrangements page.