Closure of CDS Workshop: Impact on Student Experience

This is a travesty that such an internationally renowned group is being disbanded due to the incompetence of the University senior management.

To be honest I don't see how Cranfield can expect to remain a credible supplier of higher education without retaining the facilities required to support the students.

Workshops provide the link between theory and hard won experience. Losing them will de-value learning and research.

The workshops were invaluable to me in completing my thesis. They went above and beyond, something I fear an outsourced provider with the lowrst quote would not do.

Having served on two occasions at the Defence Academy I cannot stress the importance of the smaller departments and the sheer quality they add to the learning experience. Which greatly benefits my learning style. Without such diversity and opportunity to seek help at the door step has advanced my learning and adds to the great environment that Cranfield ‘currently ‘ has. Don’t ruin it.

I am currently a student on the Information Capability Management MSc at the Defence Academy. During the ICM's Organisational Development module we undertook a case study (using soft systems methodology) on the Workshops. What we found were a skilled group of individuals providing a responsive, flexible high quality service; in fact it was pretty impressive the lengths they would go to. If this service is cut it is likely one of two things would happen: a) you would need to buy this service in at probably a higher cost or b) you would not be able to continue to conduct the research you currently do. Either way this would be a loss to the University / DefAc. An alternative way forward might be to use the Workshops more proactively to generate income rather than be purely a cost centre - there may be a market out there for what they produce (other universities, industry?) which considering they produce a unique service might be able to contribute / cover costs. Although this may currently happen, I suspect it could be capitalised on more.

Practicals sessions are vital to consolidate our learning.

In difficult financial times, it is important to keep the quality over the quantity. I would implore you to ensure you keep the very best tutors and staff, weeding out the poor performing ones first.

Seen it before; short term savings with long term consequences...

The workshop staff helped me massively during my EOE MSc thesis. Losing them would have a highly detrimental impact on students and thesis success.

I worked in industry for four years before deciding to do a PhD in CDS. My first job the workshop, like any had busy and a not so busy time. Just like the guys at CDS though, they were always happy to help and were invaluable for allowing me to hit deadlines and keep projects on track. My second job there was no workshop on site. It was a nightmare trying to get projects on track and hit deadlines. I had to produce a vaguely legible technical drawing (I'm a chemist by training) and someone had to take that and work out what it was I wanted. As this person couldn't understand what I was aiming for (my drawings were on post-its (which for what its worth I'm sure CDS workshops have done more with less) and no real idea of what could or could not be achieved, maybe the fault on who they employed or perhaps as with here, someone watching the pennies thought it was a wise idea to ask one person to understand all of the highly technical equipment that ever did and could exist! As the front end of the process, the defining of the requirements was never quite right because I technically wasn't speaking to the expert. Things often came back and needed further modification. I've worked this way before it's infuriating and slow. Masters students in particular will suffer heavily from this. When I joined CDS as PhD student I was overjoyed there was a Workshop. I've been here 7 months. They've worked out how two sections of the equipment I'm using/building, which is vital to my work, operates and taught me a whole lot about electronics already! Readily accessible Workshops are necessary resource for the furthering of research. Not only do they provide quick highly specialised solutions, they also offer valuable advice and technical expertise to students and staff alike. If I had to go through centralised outsourcing process again, I think I would need to change the title of my thesis to "The thing I built to do the science I wanted to do but I didn't get to beca

I was considering taking up Phd studies with CDS in the field of explosives, having studied for an MSc part time over the past three years. Without the workshops to support the hardware needed for explosive firings at ERDA and COTEC, Shrivenham will loose it's 'all under one roof' appeal. If the workshops are closed down, I will most likely study elsewhere and conduct my research firings at other ranges, as shrivenham will no longer be able to offer the close support required.

One of the key reasons for choosing this course and this university is the access to support agencies such as workshops. My current project for my MSc would not be possible without them!

I have studied at Cranfield (da Shrivenham site) multiple times, and indeed still do as part of a modular msc. Virtually every course I have been on has involved a visit to the workshop to demonstrate something, or use of the equipment/rigs that they have built. Loss of this facility and the skilled staff that go with it would be a tragedy and will only detract from the learning process. Outsourcing every little job will end up costing more and taking longer. This is not something that students should have to accept.

As a student at CDS, one of the most important aspects of my MSc course is my thesis and the practical based aspects of each module. It is these areas that have provided the most memorable experience so far and the workshop has played a key part in this. Reducing staff will completely devalue the quality of the course and will compromise resources needed to achieve the best possible outcome.

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A valuable resource the loss of which will detract greatly from the student experience.

The workshop was invaluable to making materials for my studies. The ATO course will be significantly impacted by this closure

Absolutely moronic decision by the higher ups to try and save a few quid today which will cost them hundreds of thousands in the future.

The hands on experience for the BTC course provided by the workshop is invaluable.