Undergraduate Course Rep Handbook by UCASU

Undergraduate Course Rep Handbook

Funded by the Student Engagement Project Group

CONGRATULATIONS ON BECOMING A COURSE REP! 03

Congratulations on becoming a Course Rep!

What is a Course Rep?

How the system works

Gathering Student Opinion

Solving Problems Course Boards

3 Positive, 3 Negative

Working with your Course Leader

Closing the feedback loop Benefits of being an active Course Rep Paid opportunities

Ongoing support

Common terms and acronyms

Induction Training: Monday 7 - Friday 18 October Workshop #1: Week starting 2 December Workshop #2: Week starting 3 February

HOW WE WILL CONTACT YOU

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The course rep system ensures each student can influence and change their course for the better, and you will be the driving force. The system is jointly run by the Students’ Union and the University’s Quality, Assurance & Enhancement department (QAE), which means both UCA and UCASU are here to support you. This handbook is a guide to the world of course representation. It explains your role, how the system works and provide you with tools to be an effective course rep. Hopefully it will answer your questions but if it doesn’t please get in touch!

KEY DATES: UNDERGRADUATE

TWITTER @UCASU/@UCASU_BOYD EMAIL

Over the last year, UCA and the Students’ Union have been working together to improve the course rep system. We have changed the election process to keep it in class, we will be trialing a new training programme for you and introducing more recognition for your work!

FACEBOOK FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/UCACOURSEREPS TELEPHONE/SMS

Best of luck! Catherine Boyd

Student Engagement Coordinator Email: cboyd.su@ucreative.ac.uk Direct: 01372 202 203 Skype: ucasu_catherine

CAMPUS OFFICER CONTACTS Anthony Gray

Louise Green

Jayne Horswill

David Lewis

Canterbury Campus Officer Email: agray.su@ucreative.ac.uk Direct: 01227 81 7337 Skype: ucasu_anthony Farnham Campus Officer Email: jhorswill.su@ucreative.ac.uk Direct: 01252 89 2693 Skype: ucasu_jayne

Epsom Campus Officer Email: lgreen.su@ucreative.ac.uk Direct: 01372 20 2443 Skype: ucasu_louise Maidstone Campus Officer Email: dlewis.su@ucreative.ac.uk Direct: 01622 0013 (ext. 1013) Skype: ucasu_david

Jasmin Grimshaw

Rochester Campus Officer Email: jgrimshaw.su@ucreative.ac.uk Direct: 01634 88 8704 Skype: ucasu_jasmin

WHAT IS A COURSE REPRESENTATIVE? You are an essential link between the students, their course and UCA. You role is to find out the collective opinions, questions and experiences of students on your course and work with your course leader and UCASU to make positive changes to the University. Course representatives are essential to ensure students have their voices heard and acted upon. You will also need to actively encourage positive aspects of your course to make sure they are continued. You should communicate any changes and improvements back to the students.

WHAT WILL I NOT DO? • Get involved with individual student performance If a student comes to you about a problem on the course that only affects them, such as a grade or extension, then you should point them towards your UCASU Campus Officer. Your role is to represent the collective view of the students, not individual. • Resolve allegations of bullying and harassment Students who allege they have been bullied or harassed should be encouraged to talk to their course leader or student services. • Deal with formal complaints Students wishing to make a formal complaint should be directed to the Campus Officer. •

Be responsible for punishing the actions and behaviour of your fellow students Students who have broken UCA regulations should be dealt with by UCA, not you.

HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS This flowchart has been designed to map out how the course rep system works. The main focus is the Course Board, which is a key platform for the student voice to be heard on your course.

WHAT WILL I DO?

YOU MAY BE ASKED TO ATTEND SCHOOL BOARD

• • • • •

School boards are the committee that your Course Boards report to. At these meetings they discuss really important and big issues that may affect you.

• • •

Represent the collective view of all students on your course Attend Course Board with your course leader Publicise yourself and your role to students so they know who to turn to Build your skills by attending training and workshops Proactively gather feedback from students on your course and identify possible solutions to bring to Course Board Feedback any outcomes from Course Board back to students Point students with individual issues to the right place for help Your role is not limited to these tasks and there will be plenty of opportunities (sometimes paid) for you to get even more involved with the university.

You may be asked to go to represent your course by either your course leader or the Student Engagement Coordinator, Catherine Boyd. But don’t worry, there will be plenty of support there for you and you can ask lots of questions beforehand!

GATHERING STUDENT OPINION 1. TELL EVERYONE WHO YOU ARE • • • • •

Ask to put up photos of yourself – people like to put a face to the name. Make sure you meet the other reps from your year and course Introduce yourself to the relevant staff in your department Ask lecturers to publicise you on course websites or blogs Do a lecture shout out

2. LISTEN TO WHAT STUDENTS THINK • • • • • •

Offer anonymous feedback on notice boards Email students with questions Questionnaires/surveys; through social media (facebook), surveymonkey, paper Drop in sessions – organise times and places for students to come and see you, like the refectory Talk to as many students as possible Use existing surveys like NSS (National Student Survey)

TIPS FOR GETTING USEFUL INFORMATION • • • • •

Ask specific questions rather than just general questions Ask more than just your friends Don’t give up If you need help, ask for it Attend Workshop #1 ‘Gathering information from students and providing evidence’ (Go to uca.su/crtraining to register)

3. REPRESENT THE COLLECTIVE OPINION Only take opinions to Course Boards that cover these 4 criteria: Accurate: Is it based on fact or gossip? Balanced: Does it reflect majority opinion or just a few people? Constructive: Go with solutions for your problems, not just criticism Depersonalised: Make sure it is about an issue rather than an individual, and keep all feedback anonymous.

SOLVING PROBLEMS If you are unsure how to deal with an issue visit uca.su/problemsolver to use our problem solver tool. This tool will ask you questions about your issue to work out who to talk to, whether you should be dealing with it and how best to resolve it.

CASE STUDY:

OPTIONS

A course rep was approached by a student about failing a unit. The student was unsure what his options were for returning to 3rd year. The course rep told the student he should contact the Students’ Union for guidance. The course rep then contacted the Students’ Union on behalf of the student. The SU then organised an appointment with the student and the issue was resolved.

COURSE BOARDS As a course rep the most important meeting for you to attend is your Course Board. This is where you take all the opinions and views that your fellow students have about your course to ensure it develops and changes for the better. The diagram here outlines how a Course Board works.

WANT TIPS ON HOW TO BE EFFECTIVE IN MEETINGS? Visit

uca.su/crtraining and check out our online training!

3 POSITIVE, 3 NEGATIVE You should always bring 3 positive and 3 negative things about your course to your Course Board. This is to make sure you input is balanced and that your feedback isn’t all negative. Sometimes the negative aspects of a course may outweigh the positives but it is important to prioritise the most important issues that need to change.

ISSUES YOU MIGHT WANT TO DISCUSS • • • • • • •

Course facilities Contact hours with lecturers Links to employers and the industry Unit Feedback Timetabling issues National Student Survey (NSS) results Assessment and Feedback

CASE STUDY:

WASTED TIME

WORKING WITH YOUR COURSE LEADER It can be daunting giving feedback to your lecturers. However, it is vital that students are satisfied with their course and feel their voice has an effect. This year we have introduced the feedback flowchart for your course leaders to use at Course Boards. This is to trace the journey of your feedback so you know exactly where it has gone and what the outcome is. It may not always be possible to change everything on your course but it will help if you understand why.

Students on a course were getting frustrated at their lecturer allowing smoking breaks during teaching time as it caused too much disruption. The course rep asked all the students (including smokers) what they thought at the end of a lecture and a large amount of them felt it was disruptive. However, when the course reps raised the issue at Course Board the lecturer denied it was a problem and the meeting moved on. The course reps came to the SU for help who advised them to time the amount of teaching time that was wasted with cigarette breaks. The problem was quickly resolved.

CASE STUDY:

EXTENDED HOURS 08

Fashion students studios were shutting at 5pm everyday when students needed them for longer. The course reps put together a petition of all the students’ names that wanted extended hours and took it to their Course Board. The Course leader then showed it to the relevant staff that organised a new staff timetable that allowed for later opening hours.

HAVING PROBLEMS WITH YOUR COURSE LEADER? Attend Workshop #2 from 3 February as it will deal with negotiating and dealing with conflict effectively. To register go to uca.su/crtraining

CLOSING THE FEEDBACK LOOP It is vital that the students on your course feel they have been listened to and see action being taken on their issues. You should always update your fellow students on any outcomes, changes or discussions happening on your Course Boards.

CASE STUDY:

BETTER FEEDBACK

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 course leader discussed the issue with staff and they agreed to offer positive feedback before outlining areas of improvement.

BENEFITS OF BEING AN ACTIVE COURSE REP • • • • • • • •

Add a wide variety of new skills to your portfolio. Work towards official recognition from the University. Get onto our ‘wall of fame.’ Access to a full skills based training programme Opportunities for paid work within the University Meet new people and make friends Be the change that improves student experience for all. Develop stronger professional relationships with staff and academics.

PAID OPPORTUNITIES Chances will arise for you to be paid to represent students on some of the bigger committees within UCA. We will advertise these paid opportunities to you on the UCASU website, Email and Twitter. So keep a look out!

ONGOING SUPPORT UCASU & WEBSITE – uca.su/coursereps

Here to help you when you need extra help. The SU acts as a neutral party here to support both course reps and staff. The website contains all the help you need with plenty of resources to use; • Extra online training • Problem solver tool • Case studies and useful examples • General dates and useful contacts • Places to register for training

STUDENT EXPERIENCE CONFERENCE – Date TBC

This is held once a year and is a chance for staff and students to meet and discuss topical UCA issues. It is always full of activities and a chance to voice your opinions to the top dogs of the university.

However, these paid opportunities require you to have attended the introductory/ refresher training and completed the online training about meeting skills at [uca.su/ crtraining]. If you have any questions please contact Catherine Boyd at cboyd.su@ ucreative.ac.uk or phone 01372 20 2203. Please note: Attendance at Course Boards and School Boards will not be paid. Only committees, meetings and panels beyond your role as a course rep will offer payment. Payment will vary between committees as it will reflect the time commitment required.

COMMON TERMS AND ACRONYMS ANNUAL ACADEMIC MONITORING (AAM)

A yearly review of how the course is doing looking at a range of factors including surveys, student feedback, dropout rates and results.

BOARD OF EXAMINERS (BoE)

Board of Examiners award grades and final degree classifications to students.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS (BoG)

OFFICE FOR STANDARDS IN EDUCATION (OFSTED “off-stead”)

A non-ministerial government department for inspecting standards in schools and Further Education.

POSTGRADUATE TAUGHT EXPERIENCE SURVEY (PTES “pee-tess”) An annual survey of postgraduate taught student opinions on the quality of their degree programme.

A group of internal and externally appointed individuals that guide the overall strategy of the University and approve or reject high impact financial decisions.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCY (QAA)

COMMON CREDIT FRAMEWORK (CCF)

QUALITY, ASSURANCE AND ENHANCEMENT (QAE)

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.

FURTHER EDUCATION (FE)

Independent agency to ensure HE qualifications are at an acceptable standard.

UCA department working to ensure qualifications are of an acceptable standard, run validation events and that assessments are run fairly.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE CONFERENCE

Pre-degree level education (A levels, Foundation, etc.)

Annual conference of UCA students and staff to discuss matters and developments around the experience of students.

HIGHER EDUCATION (HE)

VALIDATION

Degree level education, including Masters and Ph.D.’s

INTERNAL STUDENT SURVEY (ISS)

An annual survey of all students at UCA to track student satisfaction.

KEY INFORMATION SETS (KIS)

The process whereby a course is reviewed and agreed and recommendations or conditions are placed for the development of a course.

VICE-CHANCELLOR (VC)

The leader of the University, Dr. Simon Ofield-Kerr.

These are a set of information about individual courses for students to make informed decisions about where they go to university, see unistats.com.

UCA LEADERSHIP TEAM

LIBRARY AND STUDENT SERVICES (LSS)

UCASU EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The new joint department of Library and Student Development Services. This includes advice, counseling, disability support, English for academic purposes, careers and more.

The Executive team who lead the University headed by the Vice Chancellor.

The Campus Officers working in the Students’ Union.

HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND (Hefce “heff-key”)

Responsible for the distribution of funding to Universities and Colleges of Higher and Further Education in England.

NATIONAL STUDENT SURVEY (NSS)

An annual survey of final year degree students, designed to assess student opinions on the quality of their degree programme.