Student Rep role and responsibilities
You can get a lot out of being a Student Academic Rep; generally the more you put in the more you’ll get out! You can download the pdf Student Academic Rep Handbook 2011-12 or the Llawlyfr Cynrychiolwyr Academaidd Y Myfyrwyr 2011-12 to find out more, but here is some information on what is expected of you and how you can achieve this:
Representing your fellow students
You should…
- Make yourself known and available to the group of students you represent;
- Gather the views and opinions of a wide range of students;
- Be a point of contact for students on issues relating to your course and facilities;
- Direct students to information about services offered within the University and the Students’ Union;
- Feedback to students about the difference you have made and the improvements in your School.
You can achieve this by…
- Introducing yourself throughout the year, at the start of lectures or seminars and offering a brief introduction about yourself and your role as Student Academic Rep so that students know who to contact should an issue arise;
- Circulating your email address to all students and encouraging them to use it;
- Sending emails or asking students to complete questionnaires before each Student-Staff Panel meeting asking if there are any concerns and submitting these to the Chair of your Student-Staff Panel at least 5 days in advance of the meeting;
- Replying to students who email or speak to you with any outcomes and if you secure any changes then tell all the students.
Helping to make decisions that improve the student experience
You should …
- Be aware of the range of meetings which you should attend as a Student Academic Rep;
- Ask students for their views on upcoming topics and represent these views at meetings;
- Work with your School to identify and resolve issues which may arise from these meetings;
- Ensure that students are aware of any decisions or changes that your School makes.
You can achieve this by…
- Attending and actively participating in Student-Staff Panels. These meetings are your key opportunity to be consulted on issues and to raise the issues of your cohort with School or Department staff;
- Reading the agenda before the meeting and talking to students about the relevant issues;
- Providing feedback to the students you represent. It’s not all over once the Student-Staff Panel meeting has finished. You have to keep the students you represent informed of key decisions so that they can feel confident that their voice is represented. You can do this through summarising the key points from the meeting and emailing these to students or by making announcements in lectures;
- Working with the other Reps in your School. Your School will also have two Senior Reps (one undergraduate and one postgraduate) that are members of the Students’ Union Academic Council and can raise issues with the Students’ Union and at a higher level within the University. You may want to arrange to meet other Academic Reps and Senior Reps on a regular basis e.g. before Student-Staff Panel meetings to discuss the major issues you wish to raise;
- Back up everything you say with evidence collected from students, if you look at the what reps have done, those that made a difference did so because of evidence.
Developing your skills and knowledge
You should …
- Find out about how best to represent your students;
- Keep up-to-date with big changes within the University and nationally;
- Where appropriate, assist in the induction and support of new Student Academic Representatives.
You can achieve this by…
- Attending annual training by the Students’ Union in the first term and any training organised by your School. This will not only help you to find out about your role as a rep and how to go about it but you can also meet other reps and build up a valuable set of transferable skills;
- Reading the guide ‘How to be a Student Academic Rep’ and any other training materials provided by the Students’ Union or your School;
- Regularly checking the Student Academic Representation web pages for updates on current issues in the University and nationally.