Contents Page No. Introduction
3
The importance of being a Course Representative
4
Benefits of being a Course Rep
4
Your Role as a Course Rep
5
Faculty and Year Reps
6
QMSU Course Rep Committee Structure
6
Student Staff Liaison Committees
7
Tips for meetings
7
Agendas Explained
7
Meeting Feedback Forms
8
The Meeting feedback Form
9
What kind of issues will I deal with
10
Know your limits
10
Building the case and getting results
11
Effective Communication
12
Student Research
13
National Student Survey (NSS)
14
Where to take an issue
15
What skills will I gain being a Course Rep?
15
Sources of help
16
Sources of Help cont.
17
Case studies
18
Top tips for what to do next
19
Contacts
20
2
Introduction Hello and welcome to the QMSU Course Representative Handbook. First off; congratulations on becoming a representative for your course, this is an amazing opportunity for you to take advantage of where you have the ability to make real changes to improve the student experience. This is one of our most successful Course Rep elections to date, with over 560 candidates standing in the election and an increase of 90% on the number of students voting in this year‟s election in comparison to last year. This truly demonstrates that students are finding the role of their Course Rep more and more relevant.
Philip Gilks Course Rep Co-ordinator
My name is Phil and I am the new Course Representative Co-ordinator at the Students‟ Union. I am responsible for organising and managing the Course Rep system, including training and its development. I am also there to provide you with support on a more day to day basis, whether that is assisting you in finding out information or providing you with the necessary help so you can win for the students on your course. I should be your first point of contact with regards to being a Course Rep in QMSU. Email: Tel:
philip.gilks@qmsu.org 020 7882 2231 3
Sophie Richardson VP Education and Welfare
Hi I‟m Sophie, your Vice President Education & Welfare at QMSU this year. Congratulations on being elected to be a Course Rep, I‟m really looking forward to supporting and working with you all this year. Part of my role includes working closely with you to ensure we listen to our students and represent their academic views to the College and staff. As a Course Rep you have the opportunity to create real change and improve the academic experience of students here at QM. Make sure you talk to your fellow students and find out about their positive and negative academic experiences at QM. The more effort you put into being a Course Rep, the more you will get out of it – so make the most of this fantastic opportunity and most importantly, enjoy it!
The importance of being a Course Representative Having a Course Representative is essential to the development of your course. Course Reps are the official voice of students at course level providing the necessary link between students, their Department, the College and the Students‟ Union. It gives you, the Course Rep, the opportunity to shape decisions and make a big difference to your experience at QMUL. As a Course Rep, you‟re there to make sure that the College takes into account the needs of students ensuring that they receive the best possible education. Course Reps also have a far wider effect on the College, as by feeding back to the Students‟ Union you allow the officers to Benefits of being a lobby on those issues that are close to the hearts of students. Course Rep
Making a difference: Help to improve the quality & delivery of education in your department
Looks great on your CV: Shows you have taken on different responsibilities & acquired new skills
Communication Skills: Verbal communication & active listening skills
Interpersonal Skills: Networking, negotiation, assertiveness & team Working
Organisational Skills: Time management & the ability to prioritise tasks
Meet new people: Socials throughout the year
Awards and rewards: Receive a Certificate for recognition of your efforts and various other rewards along the way.
The College has a high opinion of Course Reps and you are seen as partners in the development of the academic experience. The college demonstrated this commitment by providing £50K of funding this year to improve course representation at QMUL.
Why have student representation?
To include student views in the decision making process.
To promote the idea of a partnership between students, staff, the College and the Students‟ Union.
To give you and other students ownership over your education.
To allow interaction and enhance constructive debate between the various stakeholders.
To act as a channel of communication between the student body and the College.
4
Your role as a Course Rep As a Course Rep you are expected to: 1.
Make yourself known to the students you represent. Make a poster advertising yourself to put up around your department. Create an email list so you can stay in contact with people on your course. Stand up at the beginning of a lecture introducing yourself so they know that you are the Course Rep.
2.
Attend training provided by the Students‟ Union.
3.
Regularly find out issues from people on your course that you should raise on their behalf at the Staff Student Liaison Committees (SSLC). Talk to them one on one, in groups or as a whole lecture; Set up a „facebook‟ (or similar) group to allow people to feed back; Create questionnaires or feedback forms to collect student Opinion; or by other means.
4.
Attend all of the Staff Student Liaison Committees (SSLC) that are run by your department and all relevant Students‟ Union meetings to raise the student opinion.
5.
Where necessary, follow up on any agreed action points from the meetings you attend
6.
Feedback information and outcomes from meetings to the students on your course.
7.
Report back on issues discussed at meetings to the Course Representative Co-ordinator at philip.gilks@qmsu.org.
8.
When necessary, refer students with individual problems to appropriate sources of help- e.g. College departments or the Students‟ Union.
9.
Maintain a record of your years activity. This is to be passed over to the next Course Rep so that they have a wealth of information when they begin their role.
10. Ask for help when you need it. Contact Phil on philip.gilks@qmsu.org.
5
Faculty & Year Reps Once the Course Reps have been elected the SU runs a second election to elect a Faculty Rep for each „Humanities and Social Sciences‟ and „Science and Engineering‟ as well as a Rep for each year. These positions are elected from within the Course Reps, and only Course Reps can run. If you wish to run for one of these position you will be required to write a short manifesto explaining while you would be the ideal candidate so this can be circulated. You are only able to run for the year you are in and/or the faculty you are in.
Faculty Reps
Year Reps
As a Faculty Rep you would be expected to chair the relevant SU Faculty Committee, as well as being the main student spokesperson for your faculty. You would be meeting regularly with senior staff in your faculty as well as taking the lead at the College Faculty Forums.
As well as their primary Course Rep duties, their year responsibilities are to facilitate SU year meetings; to sound out students on issues affecting their year; and to liaise with College staff on issues such as QMUL surveys. Year meetings feed into the Course Rep Development Committee as shown below. You would also be a member of the Course Rep Development Committee.
Faculty meetings feed into the Course Rep Development Committee as shown below. You would also be a member of the Course Rep Development Committee.
QMSU Course Rep Committee Structure Course Rep Development Committee
Science and Engineering
Humanities & Social Sciences
Year 1 Committee
Year 2 Committee 6
All students are expected to attend their relevant Faculty and Year meetings which take place every 2 months.
Year 3/4 Committee
Postgraduate Committee
Staff Student Liaison Committees (SSLC) SSLC meetings are your opportunity to give detailed feedback on everything relating to your course. For staff members of SSLC‟s, meetings can sometimes seem like a list of complaints from students. Obviously, you‟ll want to highlight problem areas that need to be resolved but it would be helpful if you could also identify positive aspects of your course. Not only does positive feedback act as a driver for improvement, as its evidence of what‟s working, but it makes for a better working relationship with staff. To find out the dates of your SSLC‟s please contact your Course Administrator who would be able to advise you appropriately. The format and remit of SSLC‟s may vary from department to department, with some meetings Agendas explained... being more formal than others, and in some department‟s Course Reps act as Chairs for all or Apologies: half of SSLC meetings. So it‟s important that you do This section records the apologies of those who said some research before your first meeting; you could that they could not attend. If ask for tips from other Course Reps in your you cannot attend a meeting department or from academic or support staff. it is important that you give your apologies in advance.
Minutes of the last meeting: These are a record of the previous meeting. They have to be recorded as an accurate account.
Matters arising:
These are matters that were discussed at the last meeting – this is the time to update the committee on the progress of action taken.
Items:
Each „item‟ on the agenda is discussed in turn- it could be an issue a student has raised with you or another Course Rep, the results of a department questionnaire or a report. This is the time when you can put forward your views and opinions.
A.O.B. (Any Other Business) This is an opportunity to raise any items that have not appeared on the agenda e.g. an issue that somebody raised with you just before the meeting that cannot wait until the next meeting to be discussed.
Tips for meetings: 1.
Learn from the past
Contact former Course Reps or speak to students who have been Course Reps for more than one year. Ask them about their experience –they will be able to give you an insight into how it all works.
2.
Collect Students’ views
Before making any claim that you represent the „views of students‟, make sure you have researched those views thoroughly. Take a look at the communication section pg 12.
3.
Submit a report
Whilst you don‟t have to, your lecturers and tutors will tend to take far more notice of a report that has been submitted than a passing comment in a meeting.
4.
Be prepared
Make sure you know the date, time and location of the meeting. Read the meeting papers and try to meet with other Course Reps before to discuss any issues you are going to speak on. If possible prepare a united front will give your arguments a greater force.
5.
Participate
In order to be effective you must participate in the meetings, raising issues aimed at enhancing the student learning experience. - State the problem in a constructive manner - Try to be assertive, but beware of sounding aggressive - Sit where the Chair can see you - If you have any doubts about what has been said or agreed, ask for clarification. - Take notes (even though official minutes will be taken), so that you can report back to students and the Students‟ Union.
7
Meeting Feedback Forms The more prepared you are for a meeting the better the results will be. On the following page is an example of a „Meeting Feedback Form‟. We ask Course Reps to use one of these for every SSLC they attend. Once you have attended the meeting and filled in the form, please bring it into the Blomeley Centre, Feilden House to be photocopied so we are aware of the good work you are doing. Blank forms can be collected in hard copy from the SU or electronically at www.qmsu.org/coursereps. The following are the sections on the ‘Meeting Feedback Form’. Section A. This section allows you to document what students have said to you and make sure those points are being raised at the meeting. Try to gain as much detail as possible, if you need more space just use a second or third form. By having these opinions in writing it will ensure you wont miss any out. This should be done well in advance so that you can get things put on the agenda. Section B. In this section you should write the response to each of the points in section A. Make sure that you include any action points and dates agreed so that you are able to use it to hold people to account for what they have committed to, this include you and other Course Reps. Section C. Without a doubt there will be issues and topics discussed that you were unaware of or have missed, make a note of these in this section. Don‟t forget to record the action points.
After an SSLC meeting . . After the meeting, make sure you report back to students on the outcome of issues you‟ve raised on their behalf and other matters discussed. Check with students that they‟re happy with the outcomes and, if not, follow up on unresolved issues with the department. It would also be helpful if you could keep the SU informed of developments, so they can pick up on trends across the College and raise them at the appropriate level if necessary. Make sure that you celebrate success: if the department agrees to resolve issues you‟ve raised you should let students know about it. That way, students are more likely to come to you in future if they want to relay negative or positive comments to the department. Check the minutes to make sure they‟re an accurate record of the meeting. They‟re not meant to be a word-by-word account of discussions but if you feel they don‟t reflect what was agreed you should inform the department. If you let inaccuracies pass it‟s very difficult at a later stage to put the record straight. Your department may already post the minutes of SSLC meetings on its website. If it doesn‟t ask if this can be done, and ensure that the minutes are kept up-to-date and posted in a timely fashion. 8
Meeting Feedback Form Name
Date of Meeting
Course/Year
Title of Meeting
This form is to assist you in the process of attending meetings. Fill in Section A before you attend the meeting, then fill out Section B and C whilst you are there. Please give a copy of this form to the Course Rep Co-ordinator in the Studentsâ€&#x; Union.
A.
Current student issues to be raised at the meeting.
B.
What was decided/resolved regarding the student issues in section A. (include details of any action points and who is responsible)
C.
Other matters that were raised and are of interest, including any resolutions and action points.
9
What kind of issues will I deal with? As a Course Rep you should be the first person that students raise their academic issues and concerns with. It is then your responsibility to take the appropriate actions; these could include listening carefully to the student‟s problem, raising the issue at a SSLC or raising their concern with the Course Representative Co-ordinator in the Students‟ Union. There are lots of questions and issues that students might raise with you, below are some examples. Curriculum Issues Are the learning outcomes being met? What is the match between expectations of students, the learning outcomes and curriculum content? Does the curriculum content encourage the development of knowledge and skills? Are your timetables and workload appropriate? Teaching and Learning Issues Is the range of teaching and learning methods appropriate for delivering your curriculum? Should there be more lectures, labs or tutorials? What teaching methods would students find more useful for your course? Issues relating to Learning Resources How good was your induction process? Are you happy with the library provision? Are you happy with computer facilities? Is the software you are expected to use matched to your course needs and are you trained how to use it, if necessary? What are the most helpful learning resources provided for your course? Are the lecture theatre/seminar rooms of an appropriate size? Issues relating to Assessment Do you understand the criteria for assessment and the methods used? What feedback do you receive? Is it prompt and useful? Is the assessment policy and practice clearly described? Is anonymous marking in place where necessary? Is information given on plagiarism and how useful is it? Issues relating to Student Progression (from one year to the next) How many students drop out of the course? How many students fail? Issues about Quality and Standards Are course evaluation forms used and collected? Is evaluation feedback acted upon? Do you consider that student views are influential? Can you provide any examples? Do you receive any information about what the department or course have done in light of student feedback?
10
Know your Limits! If a student approaches you about any of the following issues, you should refer them to the VP Education and Welfare, Course Rep Co-ordinator, Academic Advice Manager or Student Support Services– so that we can provide the necessary help. You are not expected to deal with these issues yourself: Disputes between individual students & academic staff (e.g. harassment, discrimination &victimisation) Formal Procedures (e.g. examination failures, academic appeals, individual complaints, disciplinary hearings etc) Financial and funding queries (including debt) Welfare problems, health and personal issues (e.g. housing, employment etc) All other matters that you do not feel comfortable or able to deal with.
Building the case and getting results How to approach a problem The QMSU recommend you follow a 4 step plan: Problem When a problem has been identified by you or one of your course mates it is important that they are then backed up by the majority view of the people on your course, unless it‟s a specific individual problem. This can be done through a questionnaire, or other methods of feedback. Information To ensure that you are taken seriously it is important you are able to give an educated opinion. So once a problem has been identified, you will need to do some research into it. Useful information can be found in the University Regulation‟s, Student Handbook, NSS results, Uni Prospectus amongst other publications or in some cases you may just need to observe the problem or record down some views of the people on your course. Negotiation Once you have identified the problem and gathered all the relevant information you then need to decide how you are going to negotiate a solution. In negotiation it‟s important to remember there always 2 sides. You should always try to find out what students want, what the College wants and then it‟s important your try to be fair, believe you deserve the outcome, listen carefully, be friendly and finally were possible have an acceptable alternative up your sleeve which you would be willing to walk away with. Justification In the unfortunate case where you have been unsuccessful it is always important that you get justification from the relevant people explaining why. It is essential that this is then reported back to your course mates. You will find people to be far more understanding of a problem if there is a good justification. In cases where you believe there to be no good justification approach the Students‟ Union for additional advice. 11
A structured approach... When trying to identify problems and create change it helps to have a strategy. What we have provided here is just a simple way to approach an issue that you might find on your course and then how best to make sure you get a result. With some of the larger more complex issues it might be useful to talk to the Course Representative Co-ordinator who can help you with your research. By having a map of the process you have been through to get to the recommendations that you are providing will add more weight to your argument, especially if you have gained support from your course mates. Always remember as a Course Rep you represent the views of the students on your course, so it‟s essential that you get their input. Contact Phil on philip.gilks@qmsu.org for help.
Effective Communication Communicating with the Students on your Course
Communicating with the College
As a Course Rep it is essential that you communicate with other students. You need to ensure they know who you are and that you can find out what they are concerned about.
When communicating with the College many of the staff will have high expectations in the way you behave and write. Some tips: When writing an email address it to their full title, e.g. Dear Professor Bloggs
Email: If you talk to departments they may be willing to send out emails on your behalf to all students on your course. Speak to your departmental secretary/ administrator and they should be able to arrange this for you. Lecture Talks Ask your lecturer to give you a few minutes either at the beginning or at the end of a lecture so you can explain what your roles is and encourage students to talk to you if they have any problems
Always remember to be polite, manners can get you a long way.
Be timely with all your responses.
Don‟t use slang or „text‟ writing when corresponding e.g. use hate instead of h8.
Facebook Set up groups on Facebook. Use this to find out student views and to update your course mates with the outcomes of meetings and campaigns
Communicating with the Students’ Union It‟s really important that you keep in touch with the Students‟ Union as well as with the students on your course. Facebook: Join the „QMSU Course Reps 10/11‟ Facebook group. This will give you the opportunity to discuss problems with other Course Reps and to ask advice from Phil and Sophie. Feedback on Meetings: Ensure that you report back on all Staff-Student Liaison Committee meetings by using the „Meeting Feedback Form‟. Questionnaires: From time to time the Students‟ Union may ask you to distribute questionnaires to students.
12
Notice Boards & Posters The Union can provide you with posters you can use to publicise yourself, your role and your contact details. Make sure you have your details in visible areas around your department Informal Chats Don‟t under-estimate the importance of informal chats. Waiting for a lecture to start or on a coffee break, it‟s likely that issues about your course will crop up in conversation. Remember to keep your course mates informed about the work you and other reps are doing!
Student Research General communication with your course mates will allow you to identify the majority of the problems on your course, however sometimes things need to be explored that little bit further. In these cases we suggest some more detailed research, for instance creating a questionnaire, hosting meetings, doing interviews or holding focus groups. In this day and age questionnaires could not be simpler due to tools like surveymonkey and google docs to name just two. These allow you to create an online survey which can then be circulated via either email or other means of electronic communication. You can also make hardcopy Questionnaires if you would prefer, however this will lead to lots of inputting data. Please be aware that the College and SU run a variety of questionnaires throughout the year so try and time it so that there are no others going on at the same time, especially the NSS (National Student Survey).
Using Survey Monkey You will need to create an account to use this but it is a FREE tool. There are a variety of tutorials available once you have signed up, however training will be provided on how to create a survey using either this or other programs.
www.surveymonkey.com
Once your online questionnaire has been filled out you will be able to access the results in a table which allows you to easily analyse them. You can contact the Students‟ Union for more support.
Running Focus Groups Preparing for the session Identify the key objectives Carefully develop 5 to 6 questions that will provoke a discussion Ask yourself what problem needs to be addressed Identify the information you need to gather Plan your session Scheduling, plan meeting to be 1.5 hours long Settings and refreshments, choose the room appropriately and try to provide at least a drink Ground rules, its useful to set some so people feel comfortable Agenda, create this so you stay on target Record it, using either video or audio so you can refer back to it Find appropriate people to attend the focus group, and then call them the day before to remind them. You normally want 8-10, any more will be hard to manage. Facilitating the session Introduce yourself Explain why its being recorded Carefully word each question After each question summarise the students responses Ensure even participation so that everyone feels able to contribute Close the session and thank everyone for coming.
13
National Student Survey (NSS) The National Student Survey (NSS) is an annual survey of final year students that takes place between January and April. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to feedback on their course and academic experience at University. The NSS is used all over the country so allows institutions and students to compare one University to another which encourages the results to be taken very seriously.
It is extremely useful and carries a lot of gravity within the College. Each department will have created its own action plan on the results of this survey. You can ask your department for their results. The survey only takes 5 minutes to complete and can be done online or by mail or telephone. However at least half of the students on each course must take part for the results to become publically available, so it‟s important for students on your course to get involved if their views are to be heard. So if you are in your final year please remember to complete the questionnaire in the Spring Term and encourage your class mates to do the same. The results are published in August and are available to view on the Unistats website www.unistats.com. Training will be run in January for final year students providing advice on how to promote the National Student Survey. 14
Using the NSS results The NSS results can be found at www.unistats.com. To get the results for your course go to the Unistats website and type „Queen Mary‟ into the search bar where it says „which uni or college are you interested in?‟
Then click on your course, (you may have to scroll through a little bit). Once you have done this click on the tab which says „National Student Survey‟. You should receive a break down of the results. If there are no results displayed it could be because there was not sufficient people filling in the National Student Survey last year.
Where to take an issue? SSLC‟s are not very frequent and sometimes issues just can‟t wait, in these circumstances it is most appropriate to approach certain members of staff. This could be a tutor or someone more senior. Often the informal approach will achieve the desired result. The College likes to remain informed as and when problems occur, rather than it being too late for them to resolve the issue, they may not even realise there is an issue. It is usually not appropriate to bring up sensitive issue about a member of staff in an open meeting. Course Convenor Your course convenor will be able to discuss issues with you that concern aspects of the Course programme and modules. Head of School/Department If issues have not been resolved by discussion with your course convenor, it may be appropriate to take the issue to your Head of School/Department.
What skills will I gain being a Course Rep? Being a Course Rep will allow you to develop a range of skills that will make your more employable, better still it will show you to be the sort of person willing to go the extra mile to support others. Some of the skills you‟ll develop during your time as a Course Rep include: • Public speaking
Course Board If an issue can wait and is a more formal issue that would benefit from discussion with a larger group then raise the issue at your next Staff Student Liaison Committee.
• Active listening
Confidentiality Confidentiality is important; students may not want their names mentioned. Raise issues generically rather than linking them to an individual. If you are discussing a student‟s issue with a third party such as a lecturer or the Students ‟ Union ensure that you first have the student‟s permission to do so.
• Decision-making
• Teamwork • Communication • Negotiation
• Problem-solving • Time management • Leadership, and more. We want to ensure you feel empowered, so if you need further training at any point then just contact the Course Rep Co-ordinator at philip.gilks@qmsu.org.
15
Sources of help During your role there is a variety of help available, the following two pages outline some which may be relevant over your year.
Advice & Counselling
Nightline
Advice & Counselling offer a range of free and confidential professional services to all Queen Mary students. Their experienced welfare advisers have specialist training and are able to offer you professional advice on a range of financial, practical and legal issues. Most of their work is about helping you with your rights and entitlements, including:
Nightline is a confidential listening support service run by students for students in London. Calls cover all areas of student life, including relationship, course difficulties, debt and family problems, as well as information on cinema and club listings.
• Financial support (student loans, tuition fees, grants etc) • Immigration law • International student issues • Financial support for student parents (childcare costs etc) • Postgraduate funding • Welfare benefits and tax credits • Disability benefits • interrupting your studies, re-sitting, withdrawing or transferring • extenuating circumstances affecting academic performance • Hardship funds and bursaries • NHS funding • Housing rights • Council tax
The lines are open from 6pm to 8am every night of term. Nightline is always on the look out for new student volunteers. If you think this might be your cup of tea (and no experience is necessary), call the helpline on 020 7631 0101 and chat to one of the volunteers on duty. Alternatively, e-mail london@nightline.org.uk. For the new e-mail listening service, see the website at www.nightline.org.uk.
As well as helping you to find solutions to problems, they can also give you information and advice to help you to avoid problems before they happen. For example, they can help you to plan a budget, and check that you are getting all the funding that you are entitled to. This type of preventative advice can help you to make sure that practical and financial problems don‟t affect your academic progress. You can also access the support of their experienced counsellors, group therapist and psychologist, all of whom have specialist training to provide support on range of emotional and psychological issues. Reception opening hours The Advice and Counselling Service is on the ground floor of the Geography Building, on the Mile End Campus. The reception is open Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 3.00pm. The whole department is closed on standard College closure days at Easter, Christmas and Bank Holidays. Welfare advisers‟ drop-in service During term-time, they offer drop-in sessions on Wednesday afternoons 2pm to 4pm and Friday mornings 10am to 12. Drop in sessions are 15 minutes per student and take place in a confidential one -to-one setting, in the same way as their 30-minute booked appointments. Not all enquiries are suitable for our drop-in sessions as it is not always possible for advisers to offer appropriate advice in 15 minutes. Please check with the reception staff whether a drop in session would be appropriate for your enquiry. If not, you will be offered a 30 minute booked appointment instead. Drop in sessions operate on a first come, first served basis, so you will need to wait in the waiting area until it is your turn to be seen by a Welfare Adviser.
16
Sources of help cont. Personal Adviser Student Union Academic Advice Service Hopefully you won‟t have any academic problems while you‟re at Queen Mary but if you do the QMSU‟s academic advice service is here to help. It can offer advice and representation on a number of academic welfare issues, including: • Applications for extenuating circumstances; • Requests for a review of an exam board decision; • Allegations of plagiarism or examination offences; • Allegations of breach of the code of student discipline; • Appeals against the outcome of a disciplinary hearing, either under the examination offences regulations or the code of student discipline; • Appeals against deregistration from a module or course; • Complaints regarding a member of staff or course delivery; • Bullying or harassment by a member of staff or fellow student; • PhD supervision; The service can offer advice on statements, supply letters of support where necessary, and accompany students to hearings, either to represent the student or to provide moral support. It also acts as a referral point, for example to Advice & Counselling, on matters such as immigration, finance or mental health. Location & Opening Hours • The service is located at the Blomeley Centre • Official opening hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am to 4pm, term time and vacation. Students can either drop in during these hours or book an appointment by calling reception or emailing the adviser. • A drop in advice service also operates from the Barts and The London Students‟ Association in Whitechapel on Wednesdays 10am to 4pm. • In exceptional circumstances appointments can also be offered outside the stated opening hours. If you want to discuss any of the above issues, contact Annie Mitchell at annie.mitchell@qmsu.org, or on 0207 882 8042.
17
All students at QMUL are assigned a personal adviser, who will be a tutor on your course. He or she will provide you with guidance on matters such as choice of modules, assessment and progress. Students are encouraged to talk to their adviser about their work and progress and to seek assistance, if required, with study or examination skills. Your adviser will also be able to provide you with information about the range of support available, e.g. from student support services, the chaplaincy and careers and may also, if requested, be able to make arrangements for students to seek specialist advice or help.
Language and Learning Unit The LLU brings together a range of teaching and learning programmes and initiatives, including:
English Language Courses; Writing Fellows; Academic Study Programme; Effective study strategies; Time management and examination preparation & revision; Personal development planning; Lecture comprehension and note-taking; Reading, note-taking and referencing; Seminar skills; Academic writing; Writing techniques; Speaking techniques.
They also run drop-in sessions on Wednesday afternoons that cover any or all of the above areas, according to demand.
Disability and Dyslexia Service The Disability and Dyslexia Service provides equipment, people and services to students at QMUL who have a disability or condition that affects their learning. The DDS has a team of Educational Support Workers (ESWs) who are QMUL students. They work with educational support users to provide many types of help. If you are interested in becoming an ESW, visit the DDS website for more information. The DDS is there to support you if you discover or develop any medical or physical condition that affects your learning.
Course Rep Case Studies The Course Rep System is well established at QMSU and the following are two case studies from previous Course Reps.
Name: Post:
Lauri Stephenson 1st Year French 2nd Year German
Name: Post:
Aslom Ullah Postgraduate English
“Prior to being a Postgraduate Course Representative during my MA, I had been an undergraduate Course Rep during my second year and final year of my BA in English at Queen Mary. I found it a thoroughly enriching experience. The Students‟ Union is passionate about making sure students‟ voices are heard rather than ignored. I must admit, I was as shocked as the Course Rep next to me when the Principal suddenly said, „ok, I am all ears, what changes would you like to see?‟ The only question I find needs asking is, “who is it that wishes to take up the challenge of using their voice as a student to implement change on the campus?”
“My role as a representative involved many different tasks which meant I could immerse myself into the language department and more importantly make a difference to not only my own but the student life of my peers. As a Course Representative you are the voice of the students and when they have an issue, you convey this in semester meetings with the lecturers. You are the link between students and lecturers, without the Course Rep‟s the voice of the student might not be heard. It also is extremely useful to have on your CV as it shows that you are trying to get involved in student life as well as studying for a degree. Acting as a Course Representative enriches and enhances your time here at Queen Mary, so get involved!”
There is a section on www.qmsu.org/coursereps with even more case studies. If you want to be one of our new case studies then email Phil on Philip.gilks@qmsu.org with a photo and a short piece and what it is like to be a Course Rep. 18
Top tips for what to do next . . . Now after reading to this point you are well on you way to being a great Course Rep, however here are a few of out top tips for what to do next. 1.
Attend a QMSU training session if you haven‟t already been. This will be emailed to all those who have been elected.
2.
Join the „QMSU Course Reps 10/11‟ facebook group so you can talk to other Course Reps at your institution.
3.
Find out when your next meeting is and commit to putting something on the agenda.
4.
Find out who the other course reps are in your department – if you don‟t know ask the students‟ union to help you.
5.
Create publicity advertising yourself to the students on your course so they all know how to contact you.
6.
Make sure your departmental has your name and contact details on display so students know how to contact you.
7.
Stand up at the start of your next core lecture and re-introduce yourself to your peers so that they know who you are.
8.
Set up your own course facebook group so you are able to discuss issues with your course mates.
9.
Look at the National Student Survey (NSS) results for your department on the unistats website and tell students which areas have fared poorly and ask why.
10. Join the „NUS Course Reps network‟ on facebook and introduce yourself to other Reps. 11. Introduce yourself to the Course Rep Co-ordinator located in the Students‟ Union at the Blomeley Centre, Fielden House, Mile End. 12. Pencil in the dates of all the meetings for the rest of the year in your diary and get a copy of the last meeting minutes to see if there is anything you should be aware of. 13. Look at the resources available on the NUS website for Course Reps. 14. Make sure you ask for help if you need it from the Course Rep Co-ordinator 19
Contact List Students’ Union Address: Blomeley Centre, Feilden House, Westfield Way, London, E1 4NP Name: Role: Email: Tel:
Philip Gilks Course Rep Co-ordinator philip.gilks@qmsu.org 020 7882 2231
Name: Role: Email: Tel:
Sophie Richardson VP Education and Welfare vpwelfare@qmsu.org 020 7882 8039
Name: Role: Email: Tel:
Laura Brenner BLSA President blpresident@qmsu.org 020 7882 8685
Name: Role: Email: Tel:
Annie Mitchell Academic Advice Service Manager annie.mitchell@qmsu.org 020 7882 8042
College Dept: Tel:
Advice and Counselling 020 7882 8717
Dept: Tel:
Language and Learning Unit 020 7882 2826/2827
Dept: Tel: Email:
Disability and Dyslexia Service 020 7882 2756 dds@qmul.ac.uk
Other Org: Tel:
Nightline 020 7631 0101
20