STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES ON UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES …€¦ · Student representative are full and equal members of the committees with voting rights identical to all other members.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES ON UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES

Handbook

Version 2 – April 2017

2

Contents

Introduction 3

Student Representative Description of Role 4

How to Perform Your Role 5

Committees and Student Representatives 6

What Can I Achieve as a Student Representative? 8

Case Studies of Student Rep Impact 9

What is Quality Assurance 10

The Road to Quality 13

University of Buckingham Committee Structure 14

3

Introduction Congratulations on becoming a Student Representative at the University of Buckingham. The student representative role is a vital one, as it ensures the line of communication between the University and its student body is always open. As a representative you also ensure student views are taken into account when decisions are made about academic matters and other key areas of the student experience. The University of Buckingham is continually striving to improve the experience of our students, and as a representative you will be at the forefront of communicating the opinions of the student body.

The role of a student rep encompasses three major components:

1. To speak to your fellow students and gather a consensus of opinion on policies andinitiatives of the university.

2. To represent your fellow students at committee meetings, asking questions and voicingthe opinions of your peers.

3. To report back to the student body on issues raised at committee meetings.

This handbook is designed to complement the training you will receive from the Quality Assurance (QA) Office. We hope that it will answer any questions that you have about your role, and serve to educate you on the importance of student reps and how they fit into the process of change and improvement that makes the University of Buckingham a great place to study.

Should you have any ideas on how this Handbook can be improved, or have questions about your role as a Student Representative, please contact the QA office at [email protected].

4

Description of Role

Purpose

• To facilitate communication between the University and the student body• To provide representation for students• To keep students informed of any developments of which they should be kept aware• To keep university staff informed of opinion amongst students, both regarding proposed

changes by the University, and ideas as to how the University might be improved

Responsibilities

• To make your role known to fellow students• To listen to student opinion and collect a consensus to present at meetings• To be objective and place your own opinion to one side if it differs from that of the majority• To attend committee meetings and contribute as necessary• To feedback decisions and ideas from the meetings to your fellow students

Required Skills

• Listening• Approachability• Demonstrating a point clearly and concisely• Confidence to speak in meetings• Presentation skills• Ability to remain unbiased

Benefits of being a Student Representative

You will: • Gain experience of formal meetings• Improve your interpersonal and communication skills• Gain other valuable transferable skills, including negotiation, organisation and presentation• Be given full training in the role• Have the chance to influence policy in your department or the wider University• Receive a certificate at the end of your term of office to support your CV

5

How to Perform Your Role

When you become a representative

The first thing to do is advertise your position. Let your fellow students know that you are the person to come to with any concerns or ideas about the course. Speak to your department’s administrators about notice board space where you can hang a poster to announce your contact details, or ask lecturers if they can give over the last few minutes of a class for you to communicate with your peers. Representatives on university-wide committees will be given guidance from the QA Office on how to communicate their position to the wider student body.

Student opinions

Make time to talk to fellow students about important issues, and respond to emails. It is important to remember that your role is to voice the consensus opinion of students – if you have a particular opinion that the majority of students do not hold, please be objective and put the concerns of the majority above your own.

Where appropriate, you can deal with issues at an informal level, directly with members of the committee; and feedback on progress during committee meetings. Most small matters can be dealt with this way. If you are not sure how or where to raise a matter, forward it to your department’s administrator for advice.

Meetings

The secretary of your committee will contact you in good time to ask for agenda items for the next meeting, and then send the agenda to you before the meeting takes place. At both stages, seek the views of your fellow students on any agenda points to see what student views are.

Read the agenda carefully before the meeting, and make notes on the important points you would like to make at each stage of the meeting. When attending, remember the importance of your impartiality: you are not there to put forward the opinions of you and your friends, but to represent all of your fellow students.

How to be effective in a meeting

• Don’t be afraid to speak or ask questions• When you have a point to make, speak clearly and concisely• Listen actively and respect the opinions of others• If in doubt, ask questions• Remain objective and stick to your goals

After a meeting

Make sure you feedback decisions to your fellow students, and ask them for comments ahead of the next meeting.

6

Committees and Student Representatives

Committees

Our Royal Charter and Statutes provide for student representation on:

• Council (the University’s governing body) - 1 representative

• Senate (the University’s supreme academic authority) - 1 representative

The President of the Students’ Union is the student representative on these boards.

In addition students are represented on

• School Boards of Study – 1 undergraduate and 1 postgraduate representative

• School Learning and Teaching Committees – normally 1 representative

• Diversity and Inclusion Committee – 1 representative

Postgraduate Students are also invited to attend Research Committee meetings

Schedule

The above committees meet once a term, normally on a Wednesday afternoon, and student representatives are expected to attend, or ask another student to attend in their place.

Please

The exact dates and times of meetings each term are published in the University Handbook on the University website.

Arrangements for meetings

Senate and Council The Secretary to Senate and Council (who is based in Registry) will invite student representatives to attend Senate and Council and send them the relevant papers in advance of the meeting.

Equality and Diversity Committee The Secretary to this committee will invite student representatives to attend the meeting and send them the relevant papers in advance of the meeting.

School Boards of Study The School Administrator will invite student representatives to attend School Boards of Study and send them the relevant papers in advance of the meeting.

School Learning and Teaching Committees The School of Study arranges the precise dates of each term’s meetings, which are normally in Week 1 or 2 of term The secretary to the committee will invite their student representatives to attend and will send them relevant papers for the meeting.

7

Role and Responsibilities of Student Representatives

Student representative are full and equal members of the committees with voting rights identical to all other members. Student matters are a standing item on the agenda of committees and representatives are given the opportunity to put forward additional agenda items if necessary.

Student representatives on Council and Senate are responsible for

• Ensuring they are familiar with the Standing Orders (terms of reference) of the committee ofwhich they are a member

• Preparing a termly report to the committee on behalf of the student body (the QA Office canprovide guidance on the format of these reports)

• Ensuring a substitute attends the termly meeting if they are unable to do so• Representing students’ views to Senate or Council• Ensuring that the outcomes of the Senate or Council meeting are fed back to the student body

Student representatives on the Equality and Diversity Committee are responsible for

• Ensuring they are familiar with the terms of reference of the committee• Representing the student body in respect of equality and diversity matters.

Student representatives on School Boards are responsible for

• Ensuring they are familiar with the terms of reference of School Boards• Identifying student issues and needs on the relevant programmes of study and bringing them to

the attention of the School Board via the Chairman (the Dean)• Representing students’ views to the School Board in relation to all matters covered under the

terms of reference of the Board• Establishing themselves as a central point for information and guidance for the students they

represent• Ensuring that the outcomes of the School Board meeting are fed back to the students they

represent (via email, notices on boards or other means)

Student representatives on School Learning and Teaching Committees (SLTCs) are responsible for

• Ensuring they are familiar with the terms of reference of the School Learning and TeachingCommittee

• Contributing to discussions about the development of new programmes and/or modules in theSchool of Study

• Representing students’ views in discussions relating to the development of programmes,academic rules and regulations and other related issues under the terms of reference of thecommittee

• Finding effective ways to feed back the outcomes of meetings to the students they represent

8

What Can I Achieve As a Student Rep? Your role as a student representative allows you to be a part of real change at the University. Below are a few examples of the areas in which you can have an impact when representing your fellow students:

• Assessment – students may wish to suggest that the weighting of coursework to exams is increased or decreased in particular modules, or that feedback is given on assessment in a different way.

• Learning methods – are you happy with the way your course is taught, or do you have ideas on how information could be more effectively delivered? For example, you may wish to suggest that tutorials are more interactive, or that learning tips or questions are placed on Moodle in between lectures.

• Resources – if computers are not up to date or important books are missing from the library, please highlight this.

• Decision making – you have a vital role to play on the committee, you are not just there to make up the numbers. Each student representative has a vote just like any other member of the committee.

• Reinforcing positives – if an element of your course has been run particularly well, or a University initiative has particularly pleased students, please make it known to your committee. The only way staff know if something is going well is if the students tell them. Your feedback can help students in other Schools of Study as well, as it helps to share good practice.

9

Case Studies of Student Rep Impact Please see below for case studies highlighting the impact that student representatives have made at the University in the recent past.

1. A module leader proposed eliminating a coursework element of a module, whilst that module was in progress. Although made with the intention of lessening workload, this had the incidental outcome of work submitted earlier in the module (which students initially believed to be of little value to their overall mark) taking on greater importance in determining the students’ grades. During consultation, the student representative for the course was concerned about this and spoke to fellow students to gather a consensus opinion. The students as a whole agreed that they felt disadvantaged by the change, so the student representative took the concern to the module leader. The module leader was enlightened to the student viewpoint, and was happy to continue with the original mode of assessment.

2. Many students were unhappy with the content of a particular module. This was raised by the student representative at the Board of Study and, after consideration of the student feedback, a new module was proposed, with content geared towards what students asked for. Students were able to vote on whether to adopt the new module, with the result that the existing module was discontinued and replaced.

3. In one department, students raised a concern that not enough information was provided regarding module options. In response, the department organised specific ‘Options Sessions’, so leaders of future modules can meet with students to answer questions and give additional information.

4. After gathering a consensus opinion from fellow students, a student representative presented that communication should be improved between staff and students within the department. A staff-student forum was introduced to update students on departmental news, future plans, and action taken on feedback.

10

11

12

13

Council Senate

Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Grievance Committee

Fellowship and Honorary Awards

School Learning & Teaching Committee

Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee Collaborations Committee

Chairman’s Committee University Learning & Teaching

Ethics Committee Promotions Committee

Donations Committee Research Committee

Finance, Estates and Resources School Ethics Committees

Nominations, Performance and School Research Committees

University of Buckingham

School Boards of Study

Committee Structure

1 Executive Committee

Health & Safety Committee

1. Executive Committee has delegated authority from both Council and Senate, although it is not a committee of either

14