Postgraduate Researcher Representation Handbook

2014/15

01

Thank you for your putting yourself forward to be a PGR Representative and congratulations on your successful election. You are joining a community of over 1,100 students that span the entire University and represent every course that UWE offers. As a group you have the potential to help make significant changes at UWE and enhance the Postgraduate Researcher experience. Never underestimate the impact of your work – we continually hear about seemingly ‘quick fixes’ Reps achieve that students are immensely grateful for. Seemingly small changes can make a huge impact to the lives of students and researchers alike.

This handbook has been put together to support you in your role. It contains key information and should act as a reference document that you can refer back to during your time as a Rep. We’ve filled it with lots of useful information about the way both Student Reps as a system in itself and wider Student Representation works at UWE. So, keep it somewhere handy, refer to it often and get in touch whenever you have questions.

Thanks,The Student Representation Team

Contents

Who’s Who

PGR Reps Your role Your responsibilities Boundaries

Introduction to Meetings

Meetings Diagram

Meetings (SU)

Meetings (UWE)

AGM and Student Council

Promoting Yourself

Gathering Feedback

Signposting

Skills

Certification and Awards

Attendance Allowance

Rep Successes and Top Tips

My Time as a PGR Rep

03—04

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03

Who’s W

hoJJ Clark

Vice President of Education

Hi, I’m JJ, your elected Vice President Education for this academic year. Thanks for becoming a Rep for Post Graduate Researchers!

I believe together we can build strong learning communities, comprised of all UWE students and staff. Being a Rep is a rewarding experience, and your work gathering student feedback and ideas helps me to lobby the university to create positive change for every student at UWE.

It is important we represent our Postgraduate Researchers and we need your help to do so. So I’d like you to take some time to chat with your peers and ask them how they are finding life as a Postgraduate Researcher. What could UWE and the SU do to better to support you and your peers? What could we do more of to support you and your peers? What do Postgraduate Researchers want changing, improving, keeping, halting?

I look forward to seeing you over the course of the year, but feel free to drop me an email any time.

vpeduation@uwe.ac.uk

@VPEducation

/VPEducation

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Support Staff

In the Students’ Union:

Duncan Stokes – Representation Support Manager

Sarah Hickie – Representation Support Coordinator for Health & Applied Sciences and Faculty of Business & Law. Also coordinates representation for Post Graduate Researchers.

Edward Burrell – Representation Support Coordinator for Arts, Creative Industries & Education and Faculty of Environment & Technology

All can be reached at studentreps@uwe.ac.uk or on 0117 32 86275

In Academic Services (UWE):

Cassie Agbehenu – Student Partnerships Officer

Michael Small – Governance and Policy Officer

I will be working in this role part time whilst working towards my degree in Psychology. I am looking forward to working with students, Reps and JJ on a number of projects this year and will report back about these via Student Rep Committee.

Amelia Campbell Education Officer

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PGR Reps

Your Role

To represent the Postgraduate Researchers within your department and to raise and discuss their feedback with the University and the Students’ Union.

Your Responsibilities

» Make sure the researchers you represent know who you are and how they can contact you.

» Proactively seek out and identify researchers’ views on matters relating to their academic researcher experience.

» Attend relevant meetings (or send apologies) and provide researcher student opinion.

» Raise student feedback on both a formal and informal basis.

» Update the researchers you represent on the outcome of any feedback you raised.

» Communicate with the Student Rep Support Team.

» Refer peers with individual concerns to appropriate sources of help, where necessary.

» Represent fellow researchers, taking their feedback to the University and the Students’ Union.

Your Boundaries

» Student disciplinary issues: It is not a Rep’s role to represent students on disciplinary matters. Students who have concerns in this area should be referred to the Students’ Union Advice Centre.

» Allegations of harassment or bullying: Students who allege that they have been bullied or harassed should be referred to the Students’ Union Advice Centre.

» Complaints: Students who wish to make a formal complaint should be referred to the complaints policy and may wish to seek independent advice from the Students’ Union Advice Centre.

» Personal problems: If a student has personal problems you should refer them to the Students’ Union Advice Centre or the University Wellbeing Service as they are trained to give specialist advice and have expertise in this area.

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Introduction to Meetings

Meetings

As a PGR Rep you will be invited to and expected to attend both UWE and UWESU held meetings. More information about these meetings can be found on the next few pages of this handbook.

It is important that you feel confident to raise the feedback you have gathered and thus adequately represent the fellow researchers at these meetings. We’ve put together a few tips to support you to do so:

It is important you communicate clearly with both staff and peers present at the meeting. The secretary will also be taking minutes and it is important that they can keep up. With this in mind let us introduce you to the 7 Cs of Communication:

» Clear – Ensure that you speak clearly

» Concise – Do not lose the message by being long winded

» Correct – Be accurate and avoid giving misleading information

» Complete – Give all the information not just part of it

» Courteous – Be polite, non-threatening and avoid conflict

» Constructive – Be positive, offer solutions and avoid being critical

» Confident – Don’t be afraid to speak up!

The key to confidence at meetings is to remember to come prepared. Make sure you have what you need for the meeting whether that is survey results or notes from discussions. Have evidence ready to back up your points.

What you do right before and after the meeting is also important. Make sure you let the Chair know you are coming along, or send apologies if you can’t. After the meeting make sure you communicate any key points about what was discussed and actioned to the rest of your department’s researchers.

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Meetings Diagram

This diagram highlights some of the key ways the student voice goes through the PGR Rep system, both through UWE and UWESU structures.

Student Rep Committee

Postgraduate

Researcher Forum

Academic Board

Faculty ResearchKnowledge Exchange

Committee

Research & Knowledge Exchange Committee

Graduate SchoolCommittee

Research DegreesCommittees

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Meetings (SU)Meetings Diagram

We will work with you to schedule a series of PGR Forums, spread out over the year, and invite you to attend these. These forums are an opportunity for PGR Reps from across the various departments and disciplines at UWE to get together and discuss feedback you are hearing from your PGR peers. Any PGR Rep can submit a request to discuss a particular topic at this meeting to the VP Education, who acts as meeting Chair.

PGR Reps who attended these meetings last year found it useful to meet a range of PGR Reps and share things which they and researchers they represent do or do not like about UWE and factors impacting on their time as a PGR student. The aim of the Forum is for PGR experience to be discussed and any issues (both positive and negative) to be identified for the VP Education or elected PGR Reps to raise with key staff on behalf of PGR Students. It is also a great way to meet with other PGR students over a coffee and discuss your experience at UWE!

CHECK COLOURS

& KEY

Faculty Research Ethics Committees

Research EthicsCommittee

www.uwesu.org/pgrforum

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Meetings (UWE)

All of the below committee meetings have space for a PGR Rep to put themselves forward and attend the relevant meetings. We do ask that those attending meetings at a Faculty or University level remain in contact with the SU and attend PGR Forums so that you are able to best represent all PGR Students. This attendance will enable you to take on board feedback from all PGR Reps and raise relevant feedback and suggestions at committees. Importantly you can also report back at PGR Forum what has been discussed, helping to keep all PGR Reps up to date with actions.

Faculty Level

Research and Knowledge Exchange (Business Engagement) Committee

2 positions per Faculty

Research Ethics Committee

2 positions per Faculty

Research Degrees Committees 2 positions per Faculty

University Level

Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee2 positions

University Research Ethics Committee 2 positions

Graduate School Committee2 positions

For more information about these meetings please take a look at the terms of reference which can be

found here:www.uwesu.org/reps/

UWECommittees

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AGM and Student Council

Want to have a say about YOUR Students’ Union on the big stage? Every year all members of the Students’ Union are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM is an integral part of UWE Students’ Union and a quick and easy way to get involved with your Students’ Union. This year’s AGM takes place on November 20th. Any student at UWE can attend and it is your chance to have a direct say on the direction of UWE Students’ Union. The say you have ranges from mandating (politely telling!) the Students’ Union and its Elected Officer team to follow a certain direction, to developing policy for the Union.

As your VP Education; I act as secretary to the AGM. I help students get involved by giving guidance on submitting a motion on something you want to change, as well as making sure it’s straight forward for you to get involved in the democratic procedures of the Students’ Union. Getting involved is easy – you can submit a motion, vote on it and, if the motion is passed, see the change happen.

In addition to this, we want you to make sure that the Elected Officers are sticking to their objectives and keeping to those promises made all those months ago. Reports from all elected officers will be available before AGM, which you will have the opportunities to ask questions about–scrutiny is a healthy part of Students’ Union life, so don’t be afraid to ask! The Board of Trustees also submits a report so you will be able to see exactly what has been happening at your Students’ Union since July 2014.

I also act as secretary to Student Council, which meets 3 times a year (the first meeting being the AGM). Student Council is the highest decision making body in considering matters that affect all students. It receives reports from the Union Committees as well as the Union Executive (all of your elected officers). It is also responsible for considering motions and matters relating to the student experience as well as setting policy for the Students' Union. As a PGR Rep you may have the chance to attend Student Council as a voting member when it meets in February and April 2015.

— JJ, VP Education

www.uwesu.org/policy

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Promoting Yourself

As a result of Student Feedback; your details as a PGR Rep will now appear on the myUWE pages of researchers from your cohort. You will be visible as a PGR Rep somewhere peers should continually be looking at and your name and email will only be a few clicks away – which is great news! In addition we are giving PGR Reps who want to use myUWE announcements as a way to communicate with their peers support to be trained and granted access to do this.

However, you should not solely rely on myUWE to get word out about who you are. You should also consider:

» Asking your Graduate School Administrator to send an email around on your behalf, to relevant fellow researches introducing you and your role.

» Creating a social media group and introduce yourself as a PGR Rep on that. Before setting up a new group it is worth checking if one already exists for your cohort.

» Following the Student Rep Twitter account (@studentreps) and tweeting your existence as a PGR Rep, as other researchers may already be followers

» Making a poster including your face and email address and stating that you are a PGR Rep and putting these up near or in places you work. You could also ask staff if they can help coordinate a poster to show all the PGR Reps in your department as this may have more impact.

PGR Rep.

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Gathering Feedback

To gather colleagues feedback effectively you need to be organised. Plan ahead, know what agenda items are coming up at your next meeting and gather feedback with these in mind. Methods of gathering feedback which previous Reps have found effective include:

» Comments box

» Facebook post or poll

» Online survey or questionnaire

» Emails

» Post it notes on a poster

» Good old fashioned face to face conversations!

Remember to be as inclusive as possible and work with your fellow PGR Reps to use a variety of methods. It might be that you eventually find a method that works well for your group and regularly use this but we do encourage you to try and be diverse with your approach. This is because some colleagues might engage more with you online and others face to face, etc.

Ask VP Education of your Rep Coordinator for advice if you need help formulating questions to ask fellow Post Graduate Researches

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Signposting

There may be times when students come to you with very individual issues, such as a student being accused of plagiarism, making allegations of harassment from staff, feeling homesick or being bullied in halls of residence.

As a PGR Rep, we do not expect you to deal with these situations as they are out of your role description. Additionally we have dedicated services to help students in these positions. Therefore, if you do find yourself in a situation like this, we ask that you signpost these students to relevant support services so that they can get help with the issue. Here are the contact details for some of the services you can signpost students to. If you are unsure where to signpost a student please get in touch with your Student Rep Coordinator.

Students’ Union Advice

Centre

The Students’ Union Advice Centre provides free, independent, confidential and non-judgemental advice to all UWE students on a range of issues. The Advice centre can offer you advice and assistance on a range of topics including academic appeals and extenuating circumstances through to your rights as a tenant and as an employee.

0117 32 82676 advice@uwe.ac.uk www.uwesu.org/advice 2F Patio Frenchay Bower SU Office (Tuesday)Glenside SU office (Monday)

Student Advisers

The role of Student Advisers is to provide information and advice on a wide range of course and programme related matters. They can advise you on course and module changes and extenuating circumstances. Student Advisers can also assist if a student wishes to withdraw from or pause their studies. Student Adviser appointments can be booked through any Info Point across each UWE campus.

0117 32 85678www.uwe.ac.uk/students

Wellbeing Service

Wellbeing Services are here to offer students personal support whilst studying at UWE. Their trained staff can offer support in a wide range of areas from Mental Health support and Counselling through to Mentoring. As a PGR Rep we do not expect you to deal with any of these; instead guide the student towards an Info Point where they can book an appointment with the Wellbeing Service.

0117 32 86268www.uwe.ac.uk/students

Ask your Rep Coordinator for advice if you need guidance on how

to signpost a student

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Skills

Our team of Reps have written surveys, conducted out and about research on campus, attended conferences, helped improve the design of modules, made posters, planned inductions, taken part in focus groups, made videos to promote themselves… The list goes on! Importantly our Reps have grown in confidence.

Being a PGR Rep is a fantastic way to open doors to new experiences and increase and diversify your skill set. Here’s a list of just some of the many skills you can hope to develop as a PGR Rep. These may not seem as important as the PhD you are working towards but they are excellent examples which you can apply to answering questions on job applications and interviews:

» Familiarity with higher education processes – possibly the most useful!

» Disseminating information and presenting it in an impartial manner

» Engaging with a range of stakeholders

» Working in a team

» Social media communication skills

» Formal meeting experience

“I do not believe that I am the same person I was a year ago, but I must

be. The change has come from everything that I have learnt, and

everyone that I have met. I feel much more confident in myself.”

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Certification and Awards

Student Rep Awards

During the year there will be an exciting event to celebrate all the hard work and successes of the year for Reps – keep an eye out for more details. Last year we ran a combined Student Rep and Student Led Teaching Awards with over 160 people attending. This is an event not to be missed! New for 2014/15, we are introducing a Post Graduate specific Rep Award.

Certificate

We run a certificate scheme to reward you for the hard work you put in and for your achievements over the year. If you are a trained Student Rep, all you need to do is submit your Rep Goals to us at the start of the year and then we’ll be in touch about the rest.

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Attendance Allowance

Congratulations, as a Rep who has completed the Training, you are eligible to receive the Attendance Allowance. For 2014/2015 the rate of this is £7.21 per hour spent in meetings.

As a Post Graduate Researcher you may also be employed by the University as a member of teaching staff. As long as you do more ‘studentship’, or hours studying and working on your research thesis, than teaching you are eligible to be paid.

We can pay you the allowance for all PGR

Forums and UWE Committee meetings attended; unfortunately we cannot pay Reps for other aspects of the role, however some other meetings with UWE staff where PGR Rep input is requested may be eligible to be paid. If you are unsure, please email studentreps@uwe.ac.uk to check.

Payment Deadlines

We can take timesheets at any time until the final deadlines, but they will only be processed on the days below.

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Here are some tips which will make your role as a PGR Rep much easier:

» Put the dates of meetings into your calendar as soon as you get them

» Ask for help if you are struggling to get peer feedback

» Don’t forget to let peers know what is happening with their feedback

» Be aware of what’s going on and the general feeling of your group

Rep Successes

We are looking forward to working with you to achieve even more this year, but PGR reps so far have been:

» Instrumental in ensuring that PGRs who were on a break through maternity receive funding.

» Responsible for successfully changing policy on the support for PGRs who teach.

» Able to obtain clarification of a Faculty writing-up fee policy.

» Influential in successfully negotiating with the cohort which students should move from larger shared offices into quieter smaller offices. This freed up space for new starters.

Top Tips

» Make sure to chat to people beyond your friends – you might make some more!

» Try a variety of methods to try to reach everyone

» Be specific – ask specific questions on specific topics

» Get your face out there early on

» Get to know other PGR Reps, you’re stronger as a team

In addition, general student feedback has led to:

» More technical staff being recruited within labs to support students with lab work.

» The library on Frenchay campus being open 24hrs.

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My Time as a PGR Rep

Before I started as a PhD Student Representative in the Faculty of Business and Law, I thought being a Student Rep meant helping other students if there are concerns around facilities or procedures. Even though this is part of your role, being a Student Rep is much more than just ‘fixing problems’. You will also learn a great deal about the structure of the university, improve your own communication skills and understand how different views can influence the decision-making process on different levels. Also, since you are a key

person to talk to for both staff members and your fellow PhD students, you will vastly expand your network.

All of this will benefit your personal and academic development. I would say that, especially if you are keen to stay in academia after completing your PhD project, being a Student Rep will prove to be of great value.

— Tommy van Steen, PGR Representative

We’d love to hear from you about your time as a PGR Rep, email us at

studentreps@uwe.ac.uk

www.uwesu.org/representation

studentreps@uwe.ac.uk

@studentreps