In a well-designed programme, the courses build on each other. Each module prepares you for the next. The learning objectives across the year point in the same direction. What you study in one class connects to what you're doing in another.
When that coherence is missing — when modules feel disconnected, when you're covering the same ground repeatedly without progress, when prerequisites don't seem to prepare you for what follows — it affects your learning in real ways. And it's worth raising.
Is this a programme design problem or a personal experience problem?
Before raising a concern, it's worth checking whether the issue is structural or individual. Some disconnection is normal: not every module will feel immediately relevant to every other one. Some connections only become visible in retrospect. Some prerequisite gaps are the student's rather than the curriculum's.
But if you've genuinely engaged with the material and the programme still feels incoherent — if multiple students are having the same experience — that's a legitimate programme design concern.
Using feedback channels
Programme coherence is exactly the kind of issue that student feedback surveys and tools like StudentPulse are designed to surface. When you fill in a check-in or module evaluation, specific observations are most useful: "This module covers ground that was already covered in [previous module] without building on it." or "The assumed knowledge from [prerequisite] wasn't sufficient for the level expected here." These are actionable signals for programme directors.
Having the conversation with your programme director
For significant coherence concerns, the right person to speak to is usually your programme director or academic lead, not an individual module tutor. This is the person responsible for how the programme fits together.
How to approach it
Frame the conversation around your learning experience rather than a judgement of the programme design:
"I wanted to raise something about how the programme is working for me. I'm finding it difficult to see how [module X] connects to [module Y], and I'm not sure I came out of [prerequisite] with what I needed for [this module]. I wanted to ask whether there's something I might be missing, or whether this is something the programme team is aware of."
This framing leaves room for the director to explain, clarify, or acknowledge the gap. It also signals that you're engaging seriously with your programme — which most programme directors appreciate.
On module choice and flexibility
If part of your concern is that the programme doesn't give you enough choice to make it feel relevant to your specific goals, raise that too: "I'd like to understand whether there's any flexibility in the module choices in [year], or whether there are optional modules I haven't been made aware of."
What to expect
Programme-level feedback often takes time to translate into changes — curriculum changes go through formal approval processes. But raising the concern now means it's on record, and it may benefit students who come after you. Immediate changes are sometimes possible, particularly around signposting, supplementary materials, or clarifying how modules connect.
