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Online Training for Course Reps
• To complete this module, read through the materials, then complete the relevant
quiz on Blackboard.
• In order to answer all of the questions on the quiz, you will need to read through
all of the information, including the linked resources.
• You will also need to read through the Course Rep Handbook and ‘What to do if…’
document.
• These are available on the Course Rep Resources page of the Students’ Union
website, along with lots of other information that is relevant to your role as a Rep.
Welcome to the online module
Module objectives
By the end of this online module, you will be able to:
• Outline the role of Course Reps within the structure of the academic representation
system.
• Gather student opinion on suggested changes to programmes, as well as general
academic feedback on a regular basis.
• Collaborate with other Reps in order to create an approachable and visible
presence within the student body.
• Signpost students with specific concerns to a range of relevant support services.
What is a Course Rep?
• Course Reps are student volunteers, elected for a year to
represent the views of their cohort at course-level, in
meetings with academic and administrative staff, as well as
senior staff.
• At least one Course Rep exists for each Degree Programme
or cluster of interconnected courses, consisting of fewer
than 50 students per year.
• For Programmes with more than 50 students per year, at
least two Course Reps will be appointed.
What is a Course Rep?
• Reps are responsible for receiving and collating student
feedback relating to their academic course as well as
passing this information on to relevant staff or volunteers
as appropriate.
What is a Course Rep?
The academic representation system
• The representation system is based on
the work of over 430 Course Reps.
• Each Department also has a Department
Rep, who is the lead for Course Reps in
that department.
• Department Reps also work closely with College
Reps, who sit on College Academic Committees,
feeding key departmental issues up to higher
levels.
• The Students’ Union Education Officer works
closely with all Reps and raises issues that require
immediate attention to senior management level.
The academic representation system
What can you help with?
The main areas of feedback for Course Reps are:
• Assessment and feedback (see the feedback charter)
• Learning and teaching
• National Student Survey
• Learning resources
• Curriculum
• Delivery of teaching.
• It is not within your role to support students with individual
complaints, or non-academic issues such as welfare, financial or
careers advice.
• However, you are able to help them by signposting them to the
appropriate service, who will then be able to support them.
• You should familiarise yourself with the services available to
students, so that you are able to point them in the right direction for
support.
What are you unable to help with?
The feedback loop
The cycle of academic
representation begins
with gathering
feedback from
students, and ends
with feeding back to
them the outcomes of
discussions with staff.
Gather feedback
from students
Pass on feedback to
staff
Gather input from
staff
Develop solutions &
ideas
Feedback to students
The feedback loop
1. Gathering feedback
from students
Gather feedback
from students
Pass on feedback to
staff
Gather input from
staff
Develop solutions &
ideas
Feedback to students
Gathering feedback from students
As a Course Rep, it is important to create a visible, approachable
presence among the students in your programme. This will
enable you to:
1. Ensure that general feedback on academic issues is gathered
from students on a regular basis.
2. Seek opinion on specific changes to academic programmes
proposed by departments.
To be as visible as possible, it is useful to use a number of different platforms to
gather student feedback.
You could try:
• Doing a ‘shout-out’ before the start of a big lecture (with the lecturer’s permission).
• Emailing the students on your course using Blackboard, or through your
department administrator, to ask for direct feedback.
• Setting up a Facebook group for students on your course to post their feedback.
• Sending out an opinion poll or survey using an online tool such as Survey Monkey.
Gathering feedback from students
• It is also worth collaborating with other Reps from your department
in order to collate student feedback into agenda items that can be
discussed at Student Staff Committee (SSC) meetings.
• When collating feedback, it is important to ensure that the
confidentiality of the students that gave you the feedback is
maintained.
• Unless students have given permission for their details to be shared,
all feedback should be anonymous.
Gathering feedback from students
The feedback loop
2. Student Staff
Committee (SSC)
Gather feedback
from students
Pass on feedback to
staff
Gather input from
staff
Develop solutions &
ideas
Feedback to students
Student Staff Committee (SSC)
• As a Course Rep, you are expected to attend at least one SSC per term,
although you should aim to attend them all.
• This is your opportunity to pass on the feedback gathered from students in
your year to staff from your department.
• This includes positive feedback, suggested improvements and potential
concerns that have been raised.
• You will receive details of each meeting in advance, including an agenda,
from the secretary of the meeting.
• At SSC meetings, each Course Rep from the department is given a chance
to outline the feedback they have received.
• You will be able to gather input from staff, and discuss ideas for solutions
and improvements that can be implemented in the department.
• Action points will be agreed for both staff and Reps, and these will be
noted on the minutes, which will be circulated after the meeting.
• At the start of each meeting, the minutes from the previous meeting will be
discussed, and action points will be followed up.
Student Staff Committee (SSC)
• If any urgent issues have been brought up, it may be best not to
wait for the next SSC to pass on the feedback.
• By speaking to a member of staff straight away, you may be
able to resolve the issue more quickly.
• If a solution is found before the SSC, it is still worth mentioning
the issue at the next meeting in order to let the other Reps and
members of staff know that the issue has been resolved.
Student Staff Committee (SSC)
The feedback loop
3. Feedback to
students
Gather feedback
from students
Pass on feedback to
staff
Gather input from
staff
Develop solutions &
ideas
Feedback to students
• The feedback loop is a continuous cycle, and it is important to let students in your
year know what has been discussed at SSC, and the decisions that are made.
• This is known as ‘closing the feedback loop’, and shows the students you represent
that their feedback is being passed on and acted upon.
• Sometimes, closing the feedback loop may include giving students information
about why a certain issue cannot be changed, or passing on feedback from staff to
the cohort.
• Similar to gathering feedback, it is best to close the feedback loop across multiple
platforms.
Feedback to students
• To recognise your work as a Course Rep, you can be awarded a Bronze,
Silver or Gold Course Rep Accreditation.
• Throughout the year, Reps can gain points by engaging in a variety of
activities across the University and Students’ Union.
• To gain the Silver or Gold, you need to achieve at least the minimum
requirements allocated to each level.
• Each month, an individual who stands out as a result of their engagement
in student representation will also be named Rep of the Month.
Course Rep Accreditation
• A number of additional workshops provided by the SU Training
Team can count towards your Course Rep Accreditation.
• These workshops aim to help you improve your skills as an
Academic Rep, as well as building transferrable skills.
• You can book onto a session through the online booking form.
• For updates, follow @su-training on Twitter, or like the ULSU
Training Facebook page.
Further training
Academic Representation Advisors
Development Coordinator (Academic)
Elena Boaru [email protected]
Education Officer
Azza Abdulla [email protected]
Training Coordinator (Student Leaders)
Hannah Winslade [email protected]
Useful contacts
