UCA Students Union - Course Rep Handbook 2020/21 by UCASU

HANDBOOK 2021-22

Contents 2: Congratulations! 3: Being a Course Rep this year 5: Getting students opinions 7: The ABCD of representation 9: Course Boards 11: Meeting Notes template 13: The Dos and Don’ts of being a Course Rep 14: Course Rep wins 15: Big dates for the diary 16: Helpful contacts 17: Common terms and jargon 19: What if a student comes to me with personal issues

CONGRATULATIONS ON BECOMING A COURSE REp

Congrats on your new role as Course Rep! This handbook is a guide to the world of Course Reps. It explains your role, how the system works and provides you with tools to be the best representative you can be. This year your role is more important than ever. With the ever-changing circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, you will play a crucial role in communicating how you and your course mates are feeling about teaching, resources, and assessment. From this, you will be able to make positive changes for your overall learning experience. There are many benefits to being a Course Rep, on top of being the driving force to improving student experience. You will learn new skills for your portfolio, get official recognition, paid work opportunities, meet new people, make friends, and develop stronger professional relationships with staff and academics. Good luck!

What is the Students’ Union? UCA Students’ Union is a student-run organisation that is independent from the university. We aim to improve your university experience, as well as campaign on the crucial issues that affect students. UCASU offers a range of activities and support for students such as sports, Communities, Course Reps, free advice and campaigning. All Students’ Unions are run by democratically elected students who are voted by you, to represent you.

Staff Contact Your key contact is the Advice and Representation Manager. You can reach her at molly.new.su@uca.ac.uk, on 01372 202443 or on the advice phone (07827 316142).

Being a Course Rep this year Your role as a Course Rep is particularly important this year as we work through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. You are responsible for communicating any thoughts, feelings, or suggestions you and your peers may have about your course, at regular Course Board meetings. Ensuring you keep the dialogue open between both students and academic staff will be a key responsibility this year. Academic staff have agreed to give Course Reps dedicated time during class to gather feedback to take to Course Boards, and also to feedback after Course Boards. You should be given plenty of time to do this! In the event of a Lockdown, you will remain in post as Course Rep. Your role as Course Rep may become even more important if we go into a Lockdown as you will be the key contact for your course mates if they are having any course-related issues. You will still be responsible for communicating with both your course mates and academic staff. Should we go into a Lockdown, you can always contact the Students’ Union for advice and support on how to manage being a Course Rep whilst distance learning.

What do I have to do now? What is a course rep? A course rep is a student elected to represent the views of their course mates on issues related to their course.

What are my main responsibilities as rep? A full checklist of the things you should be doing throughout the year can be found later in this handbook, but you should mainly see your role as the link between students and staff. This primarily involves gathering feedback from your course mates, presenting this to staff in meetings and then offering solutions to these issues that would suit the needs of your peers.

How many course reps are there usually on a course? There are usually a minimum of two course reps elected for each year of study within the same course, although numbers can vary and this is often higher for larger courses!

What kind of issues could come up? Anything related to the academic experiences on your course. Equipment, space, timetabling, curriculum, teaching, placement/industry opportunities, material costs and many more - if it’s academic and related to your course, it could come up! One thing that’s crucial to remember- if someone on your course comes to you with a personal issue, we do not expect you to have to deal with this in your role as a rep. In these circumstances, make sure you signpost them to the UCASU Advice Service.

Getting students opinions 1. Tell everyone who you are and what you do • • • •

Do a lecture shout out Ask Programme Director/tutor to send out who you are and ways to contact you Put up posters Make sure you meet the other reps from your year and course

2. Listen to what students think • • • • •

Discussions during lectures (ask your tutor to step outside) WhatsApp/Facebook groups Email Questionnaires/surveys Drop-in sessions 1-to-1

3. Tips for getting useful feedback • • • • • • • • •

Ask specific questions rather than just general ones. Eg what do you think about the feedback we get from our assignments? If a problem is brought to you, ask others if they have had similar experiences Don’t get lost in gossip, and keep things anonymous Ask more than just your friends, don’t be shy Don’t bring up issues about a certain person – think about the issue, not the individual Ask for positives and negatives! Work on the relationship with your tutor/Programme Director If you need help, ask for it. The union and Programme Directors are here to support you Be respectful in a meeting – listen if you wish to be listened to

What should I ask? How did you find the induction? How are you finding online learning? Are the lectures relevant to everyone? Do your tutors treat everyone fairly? Are you getting relevant feedback? How is the work paced? Is your timetable correct? Are there enough library books? Are there enough practical sessions? Have there been enough workshops? Is your curriculum diverse and international enough? Do you have to buy expensive materials? Do you have access to all the technical facilities you need? And anything else that may affect your course! 6

The ABCD of representation

Accurate

Make sure you have as much detailed information as possible about an issue that you plan to bring to a Course Board or staff member.

Balanced

Think about what you have been told, does this issue affect the whole group? Are there two sides to the story? Is it an individual problem that may be settled in another method?

Constructive

Come up with some suggestions for resolution. Share ideas and problems with other Course Reps (even ones on other courses), there may be some suggestions for improvement. The Advice and Representation Manager can arrange a meeting with other reps on your campus.

Depersonalised

Don’t name names or point fingers and don’t criticise individual staff members. This can cause a poor relationship between students and staff. If an issue only affects one student, it may be an individual issue and that student should seek help from the UCASU Advice Service.

Course Boards A course board is a meeting where people discuss all things course related. It’s attended by Programme Directors, some tutors, head of school and YOU! There will be reps from other years, so it’s great chance to meet them.

Ways to make course boards work for you •

Let students know that there is a meeting coming up and identify any issues that need raising • Represent the collective opinion • Remain professional and focused • Bring issues to the attention of the course board sooner rather than later to avoid snowballing • Don’t be shy - make your voice heard • If an issue is taking too long to be dealt with, report it to the union. • You should always bring positives and negatives • Act professionally

Issues you might want to discuss • • • • • • • •

Course facilities Access to resources Contact hours with tutors Links to employers and the industry Unit feedback forms Timetabling National Student Survey (NSS) results Assessment and feedback

Before meetings • • • •

Be prepared Research - Gather & record student views Go through the ABCD of representation Read Agenda – notes any points of interest that you want to investigate before the meeting

During meetings • • • • • • •

Arrive ready Be polite Be clear Represent the views of your group Listen and make notes of what’s been said Don’t interrupt others Be confident

After meetings •

Share feedback on your points raised (feedback is crucial so that everyone knows what is going on) • Follow up on any actions that have been agreed on • Share your wins and recommendations with other Course Reps

Working with your Programme Director Feeling a little daunted about giving feedback to your tutors? It is vital that studentsare satisfied with their course and feel their voice is being listened to, your course leader will want to make things better too, so really you’re a team! If you are having troubles with your Programme Director then talk to the Union for advice.

Meeting Notes Always be balanced when going to a meeting – bring positives too! Remember you represent ALL your class – not individual issues. Fill this in and take it to a meeting. Date of meeting; _______________________ Positives! – What’s been great so far. • • • Student concerns / issues to highlight • • • Suggestions of how things could change • • •

Top Points from the Meeting After the meeting take some time to communicate these top points back to your class • • •

Feedback Loop Once you leave a meeting, make sure your class knows what went on. Post on your FB page? Email? Talk in class? Tweet? Blog? Send a pigeon? However works for your class.

Top Points from the Meeting After the meeting take some time to communicate these top points back to your class • • •

Feedback Loop Once you leave a meeting, make sure your class knows what went on. Post on your FB page? Email? Talk in class? Tweet? Blog? Send a pigeon? However works for your class.

The Dos and Don’ts of being a Course Rep You should: • • • • • • •

Be the student voice for your course Ask students on your course what changes they’d like to see Ask students what’s great about the course Work with staff to make the course better Think of solutions to the problems on your course Be a link between staff and students Run events (if you want to!)

You should not: • • • • • •

Always agree with staff - sometimes perspectives will be different to students! Just bring forward your own ideas Bring forward problems in a rude or personal manner Feel pressured to take on more than you can - your wellbeing comes first! Help students with personal problems Help other students with their work

Course Rep Wins Course Rep Win #1 Student reps implemented change via ‘artist talks’ - they worked with their department to encourage a local focus and bring in curational speakers relevant to their studies.

Course Rep Win #2 Acting & Performing students helped with getting the Study Week dates changed to be a better time for them.

Course Rep Win #3 Course reps discussed changing a submission deadline with a Programme Director (as it overlapped with other work) and successfully came to a positive result.

Course Rep Win #4 Students were unhappy with the feedback they received on their work. The course reps ran an open discussion on Facebook asking students what they wanted to see changed. The majority of students wanted more information about what aspects of their work was meeting the marking criteria rather than just negative criticism. The course reps took this information to their course board. As a result the Programme Director discussed the issue with staff and they agreed to offer positive feedback before outlining areas of improvement.

Course Rep Win #5 Students were confused by the marking scheme and other elements of their course. Through talking to their course reps that department have now produced a handbook explaining it in more detail.

Course Rep Win #6 Some product design students wanted to know more about career options and skills for the work place. Through taking this to the Programme Director and course board meeting, the university arranged for a local professional to come in to talk about their experiences.

Big dates for the diary Training Dates Training will begin the week commencing November 1st, location will be confirmed to reps via email once the submission date has closed. Dates for training are as follows:

Tue 2 Nov 6 - 8pm

Wed 3 Nov 6 - 8pm

Thu 4 Nov 6 - 8pm

Training this year will be online via Zoom call. There will also be a recording of the training on the UCASU website for anyone who cannot attend.

Course Rep Conference – April 2022 (Details to be confirmed in Term 2)

Join us this year for our annual Course Rep Conference. You will be able to come together with other course reps from different courses and perhaps even different campuses! It will be a fantastic place to network and learn about other students’ experiences. Of course, this will be dependent on what the Government guidelines around the pandemic are, later in the academic year. We will keep you updated on dates, times, and all event details. Check back on ucasu.com/coursereps for updates!

Helpful contacts Being a course rep can be a fun and rewarding role that gives you the ability to change things academic, sometimes you may get students coming to you with personal problems. It can be risky for you to get involved and there are a wide range of support services offered by the University and Students’ Union. If you are aware of any issues on your course relating to discrimination such as ableism, sexism, racism, homophobia or transphobia you should report them through the online report form that can be found on the Students’ Union website. If you do have any questions or queries regarding your role or where students can be referred, you can contact the Advice and Representation Manager, Molly New, as she is your main point of contact.

Molly New

Advice & Representation Manager Call/Text: 01372 20 2443 / 07827316142 Email: molly.new.su@uca.ac.uk advice.su@uca.ac.uk Skype (By arrangement): UCASU_advice

Gateway Services What are Gateway services? Well, each campus Library has a ‘Gateway’ and this is where University advisers live. They can talk to students and offer support on a wide range of topics from how to use the library, to student finances, to learning differences support. You can contact them in person, by phone or email. Canterbury Telephone: +44 (0)1227 817 314 | Email: gatewaycanterbury@uca.ac.uk Rochester Telephone: +44 (0)1634 888 734 | Email: gatewayrochester@uca.ac.uk Epsom Telephone: +44 (0)1372 202 461 | Email: gatewayepsom@uca.ac.uk Farnham Telephone: +44 (0)1252 892 709 | Email: gatewayfarnham@uca.ac.uk

Common terms & acronyms AAM - Annual Academic Monitoring A yearly review of how the course is doing looking at a range of factors including surveys, student feedback, dropout rates and results. BoE - Board of Examiners Board of examiners award grades and final degree classifications to students. BoG - Board of Governors A group of internal and externally appointed individuals that guide the overall strategy of the University and approve or reject high impact financial decisions. CCF - Common Credit Framework The framework that sets out how ‘credit’ is accumulated, marks and grades are awarde, and outlines most of the academic rules for the undergraduate and postgraduate courses. FE - Further Education Pre-degree level education (A-Levels, Foundation, etc). HE - Higher Education Degree level education, including Masters and PhDs. ISS - Internal Student Survey An annual survey of all students at UCA to track student satisfaction. KIS - Key Information Sets These are a set of information about individual courses for students to make informed decisions about where they go to university, see unistats.com. LSS - Library and Student Services The new joint department of library and student development services. This includes advice, counseling, disability support, English for academic purposes, careers and more. Hefce - Higher Education Funding Council for England (“heff-key”) Responsible for the distribution of funding to universities and colleges of higher and further education in England. NSS - National Student Survey An annual survey of final year degree students, designed to assess student opinions on the quality of their degree programme. OFSTED - Office for Standards in Education (“off-sted”) A non-ministerial government department for inspecting standards in schools and further education.

PTES - Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (“pee-tess”) An annual survey of postgraduate taught student opinions on the quality of theirdegree programme. QAA - Quality Assurance Agency Independent agency to ensure HE qualifications are at an acceptable standard. QAE - Quality, Assurance and Enhancement UCA department working to ensure qualifications are of an acceptable standard, run validation events and that assessments are run fairly. Validation The process whereby a course is reviewed and agreed and recommendations or conditions are placed for the development of a course. VC - Vice-Chancellor The leader of a University, Bashir Makhoul. UCA Leadership Team The Executive team who lead the University headed by the Vice Chancellor.

Meeting Jargon Agenda A list of topics to be discussed at the meeting. This is given out before the meeting which you can add to. AOB - Any Other Business An opportunity at the end of the meeting to talk about things that are relevant but not on the agenda. Chair The person in charge of running the meeting. Minute taker / Clerk Writes down what is said and actions to be taken. Minutes Notes taken during the meeting. Quoracy The number of people needed at the meeting to make discussions.

I know as a Course Rep I don’t deal with personal issues, but what if a student comes to me? If a student is upset by anything, it’s likely they have come to you because they know and trust you. Sometimes the best thing to do is to offer them a little bit of your time and listen. Remember, you must only listen and signpost to the relevant services and not try to give out personal advice. If you feel at any time the discussion is becoming serious or uncomfortable you should direct students to contact the SU Advice and Representation Manager or Gateway services. It is important to understand that sometimes students are not comfortable talking to someone from the university or don’t realise the SU is autonomous from it. It may be useful to explain that the Students’ Union Advice and Representation Manager does not work for the university and offers confidential, non-judgemental, independent advice. If a student is clearly in distress, (crying uncontrollably, having a panic attack, or unable to speak, reassure them and try to give them some space and time to breathe and relax), it would be appropriate to contact a Mental Health officer on your campus and if a student is visibly in danger to themselves or others (including self-harming or threatening suicide), contact 999 and treat it as an emergency issue. If a student can speak and engage but is still very upset (and you are comfortable doing so), possibly explore if there is anyone the students trusts enough that they can talk to such as a family member or friend. You can refer students to Gateway and SU Advice, Samaritans and Big White Wall. Think about yourself, always ensure your safety is a priority. If you should find yourself talking to a student privately, confirm with a member of staff where you are going and seat the student so that they are furthest from the door. Make sure you have clear access should you need to remove yourself from the room. In the case of a distressed student, it might be worthwhile to ring the Gateway Desk on your campus beforehand rather than bring a student along in person, as the student might find this embarrassing or disconcerting. The Gateway team can advise you if there are any members of staff free to talk to the student at that time. If not, they may be able to provide a private space where the student could contact an emotional support service,such as Samaritans. At any time, you can advise a student about the Counselling Service, which is free to any UCA student. Students can find out more about counselling from the Gateway Team or by looking online at uca.ac.uk/ student-services/counselling.

What if a student tells you that they have a mental health condition? If a student shares that they have a mental health condition, don’t panic! Approximately 1 in 4 people at any given time have a mental health condition. Having a mental health issue does not mean students are unable to engage. It is important not to treat them differently, and not to assume they require counselling. If students with a mental health condition express concerns they are struggling with their studies, they can be signposted to Gateway Services on their campus (or the SU Advice and Representation Manager if they want independent guidance) to arrange an appointment with a Learning Support Manager. What if a student tells me they are a victim of discrimination, bullying, victimisation or harassment? If the student would like to talk to someone about their experience and discuss their options, you should signpost the student to SU Advice, a Specialist Advisor via the Gateway or contact one of the Bullying & Harassment Advisers. What if a student is a victim of crime? Advise the student to report the crime to the police and make sure that they have the contact details for the local Police Service. They can either ring 101 (or 999 in an emergency) or go online: • Canterbury & Rochester: kent.police.uk/services/ report-a-crime • Epsom & Farnham: surrey.police.uk/advice/victimsof-crime If the student does not want to do this suggest that they talk to the Specialist Advisor at Gateway Services or the SU Advice and Representation Manager.

Issue

Does it affect more than one person?

Does it relate to more than one course? Speak to the Programme Director

Is it an urgent problem?

Approach the Students’ Union advice team

Talk to the Students’ Union

Talk to your Course tutor about your next steps

Talk to the Students’ Union or the Student advice centre

Talk to your Students’ Union President

Does it effect only your School? (Within the University e.g. Shool of Design)

Is it urgent?

Contact the Students’ Union

Could the problem be solved informally?

Speak to the relevant person

Discuss the issue with another student rep

Speak to Advice & Representation Manager