Leah Ball - Vice President Education

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  • Deadline & feedback structure
  • Improved communication between faculties
  • Improved access to Blackboard
  • Learning objectives & references on all lecture slides
  • Consistent & convenient course inductions

Vote for Leah Ball now!

Why vote for Leah?

About me

I'm Leah, a final year BSc Education and Psychology student :)

I would love to be your VP Education this year because I want to be forefront in creating a university education that is accessible for everyone. This is something I intend to build upon in a future career. I think student voice is highly important, and I will endeavour to amplify your voice in shaping a positive learning experience.

I believe that I have both the passion and experience to carry out the role effectively:

My experience

  • My dissertation is on student voice and wellbeing - central to this role.
  • President of the Education Society - leadership, management, and communication skills.
  • Undergraduate course representative - experience collecting and sharing student feedback.
  • Governor at a local school - a strategic role involved in the development and accountability of a school.

This experience gives me the insight to understand and implement students' needs.

My manifesto

1. Deadline and feedback structure

One of students' top 3 priorities for SUSU this academic year was work-life balance. As VP Education, I will work with departments to create a streamlined system where deadlines are spaced out, to reduce unnecessary stress for students. This will also include systematic assignment feedback guidance for lecturers to reduce inconsistency across modules and markers.

2. Improved communication between faculties

I will work with faculties, particularly those with joint honours programmes, to ensure clear communication and sharing of announcements. This will ensure that joint honours students, different levels of study (undergrad & postgrad), and those taking modules outside of their faculty/department, all have access to the same information.

3. Improved access to Blackboard

Following on from point 2, I will endeavour for students to have access to the Blackboard page of the departments running all of your modules. (For example: me having access to the BSc Psychology page through taking their modules as part of BSc Education and Psychology) This will keep you up to date with everything relevant to you.

Furthermore, I will ensure that Blackboard module pages are open at least 2 working days before the beginning of the semester.

4. Learning objectives and references on all lecture slides

I will lobby for the inclusion of learning objectives and references on all lecture slides throughout the university. This will benefit students with disabilities and those with English as a second language, helping to work towards making education at our university equitable for all.

5. Consistent and convenient course inductions

I have noticed that course inductions vary widely between departments, meaning that some of us are stuck in inductions for longer and miss out on Freshers events. As your VP education, I will make course inductions consistent and convenient across the university, so that everyone is prepared for their studies and able to enjoy all the Freshers events they choose.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

I would be so happy if you vote Leah as Number 1 for VP Education :)

Questions & Answers

Ask Leah Ball a Question

Please note that the views expressed by candidates are their own and may not reflect the views and/or values of SUSU.
SUSU supports the expression of all lawful opinions as long as they are expressed with respect and do not attack or undermine the rights of others.
SUSU may also place reasonable restrictions on the expression of views linked to the time, place or manner that the views are expressed.

Hi, thank you for asking! You can follow me on Instagram @leah4vp.education
I am so excited to have you follow along :)

This question was also asked to Kunpeng 'Steve' Yu, Joshie Christian, Uzair 'Yumiko' Asum-Mirza

Answered by Leah on 02/03/26 20:12

If elected as VP Education, the first thing I would start working on is collecting larger scale feedback from students about how the university can support your education.
From speaking to students at my campaign stalls, it’s clear to me that smaller communities within the university often feel unheard. I will shape my role around what would benefit all students to create an inclusive and accessible university.
I am already collecting similar feedback currently for my dissertation, which is on student voice and well-being. Because of this, I feel prepared and capable of highlighting students’ views right from the start!

This question was also asked to Kunpeng 'Steve' Yu, Joshie Christian, Uzair 'Yumiko' Asum-Mirza

Answered by Leah on 03/03/26 16:31

Hello! Thank you for your question. I believe in acceptance and love for everybody. Everybody is valid and deserves respect!

1. Of course. I am an advocate for all transgender, non-binary, gender fluid, agender (and more) people to be treated with respect and addressed with their preferred (aka correct) pronouns.
2. Transgender students should feel safe to use whichever bathroom they feel most comfortable using on our campuses.
3. I believe that creating more gender-neutral spaces is overwhelmingly positive! This does not take away from gendered spaces (for example, some women prefer using a designated women’s space), but makes sure that everybody has an accessible space where they feel comfortable and happy. Supporting transgender and other LGBTQ+ people is positive for welfare as it increases safety and reduces stereotypes for everybody. This also helps all members of society, for example families with children. We are not protected until we are all protected.
4. Transgender and gender non-conforming students should be able to engage with sports in a way that makes them feel comfortable and valued. There are many studies that prove that transgender women do not have an unfair advantage over cis women in gendered sports. While some people may be concerned that people who have not medically transitioned can have an unfair advantage, transgender people are a minority - transgender women are not winning all sports; quite the opposite! There is space for everyone in sport and diversity should not be seen as a treat. We are better together!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions. As VP Education I pledge to uplift the voices of all students, particularly those who are often unheard. Vote Leah # 1!

This question was also asked to Kunpeng 'Steve' Yu, Joshie Christian, Uzair 'Yumiko' Asum-Mirza

Answered by Leah on 09/03/26 13:38

Hello, that’s a great question that actually links really well to my manifesto! Making Blackboard more accessible and useful is a huge priority for me (see my manifesto point 2).

I 100% agree that it is essential to have access to everything you've learnt in order to continue building upon it. If elected as VP Education, I will prioritise making sure students have access to the Blackboard pages for all of their modules and the departments that run them. I will also create clear, standardised guidelines for lecturers to make sure that lecture slides are available to students before the class and that recordings are uploaded and of good quality.

Alongside this, one of my main aims is for joint-honours students to have access to the department pages for both parts of their degree. For example, I am a joint honours student studying Education and Psychology, but I don’t have access to the psychology Blackboard page. I want to change that for all students who take modules from multiple departments, to ensure that everyone has equal access to all information and learning opportunities :)

If that sounds useful to you, vote Leah #1 for VP Education on 10th-12th March!

This question was also asked to Kunpeng 'Steve' Yu, Joshie Christian, Uzair 'Yumiko' Asum-Mirza

Answered by Leah on 07/03/26 22:12

Hello, great question! Supporting department leadership is a huge part of the VP Education role and one I will prioritise highly. As a course rep myself, I understand how the system works and how important it is to have useful support from the VP Education. VP Education revolves around student voice. I will collect regular feedback from presidents, faculty officers and course reps (as well as all students) to make sure that the voices of all parts of the university are heard. With my experience collecting and analysing qualitative feedback for my dissertation, and working in a strategic leadership role as a school governor (ensuring that school senior leadership are carrying out their roles effectively and have the resources to do so), I feel equipped to successfully lead and support the amazing leadership within our university!
Vote Leah # 1 for achievable change

This question was also asked to Leah

Answered by Leah on 09/03/26 14:02