COURSE REP
STAFF GUIDE
THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES STUDENTS’ UNION
CONTENTS
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What does a Course Rep do?
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Benefits of Being a Course Rep
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Electing Course Reps
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After the Elections
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What to do if?
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Who does what?
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Students’ Union Support
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Reward & Recognition
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Timeline
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WHAT DOES A COURSE REP DO? As Course Leader, you are a great help to the Student Voice Team in running the Course Representative scheme. Your support is invaluable and we are proud to have such a strong partnership with the University. Course Representatives are an essential part of quality assurance processes at USW and a valuable source of information. They provide a wealth of feedback on students’ experiences at University and can contribute in new and innovative ways to the development of the course.
Key Responsibilities of a Course Rep • To gather feedback from their cohort about the academic experience on their course (positive
and negative). • To attend Course Rep training provided by the Students’ Union. • To attend Student Staff Course Liaison Group Meetings (SSCLGs) once a term and put forward
the views of the students they represent. • To attend Course Rep Assemblies, once per term, with the Students’ Union to provide
feedback. • To feedback to students on the outcomes of meetings they attend. • To liaise with the SU - keeping them informed of relevant issues and seeking support if
needed. • To keep in touch with their Course Leader and course management team. • To treat the role responsibly and be prepared to represent the views of the majority of the
students even if they do not hold the same views. The Students’ Union will provide you with a small document that lists all the key responsibilites that you can share with your students in order for you to promote the role.
WHAT COURSE REPS DON’T DO: Course Reps should not have to resolve students’ individual problems but should signpost these students to the Students’ Union or appropriate Student Service. They should not be expected to carry out administrative tasks for lecturers such as convey staff absences to their cohort.
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BENEFITS OF BEING A REP Develop Transferable skills
Improve the Quality of the Course
Course Representatives gain a wealth of skills by taking on the role such as mediation, communication, effective representation, organisation and time-management.
Students are best placed to know how they like to be taught and what works for them. Course Representatives have the chance to take a front-role in shaping and developing their course, and their involvement will benefit current and future students.
These skills will be recognised on their Course Rep Certificate which they can claim at the end of the year. There are four possible levels that they can achieve (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum)m depending on their level of engagement with the scheme.
By taking on the role, students also gain an understanding of issues in Higher Education which can be beneficial for a future career in the sector.
Networking
Involvement in Student Leadership
Throughout the year, there will be many opportunities for Course Representatives to network with students and staff. They attend termly meetings with their Course Team and liaise with other Course Representatives via the Course Representative Assemblies organised by the Students’ Union.
Being a Course Representative is a great introduction into the student movement and can be a stepping stone to more senior leadership roles within the Students’ Union. Many Course Representatives often choose to go on to run for the positions of Student Voice Representative or SU Officer which involve more responsibilities as they are involved in University and Faculty decision-making.
This is a great opportunity for students to interact with a wide range of people and gain understanding of people’s different experiences and perspectives.
During the first few days of term, you should inform your students of the possibility of becoming a Course Rep and the benefits of the role. Please use the information from this guide, the job description document and the Students’ Union website to help you promote the role to your students. The Student Voice Team is also always on hand to help you should you need it.
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ELECTING COURSE REPS Preparing for Elections
Voting
ONE Course Representative per year is the standard, however, if you have over 50 students you might consider having TWO Course Representatives. Some courses have additional Welsh Medium and Part-Time Course Representatives. When you send the details of the Course Representatives who have been elected to Sophie Banks, please let her know what set up of Course Representatives you have.
If there is only one candidate for one Course Representaitve vacancies then the candidate will be elected as unopposed unless a majority of student oppose this, If this happens, new candidates should be sought, When the number of candidates exceed the number of Course Representative vacancies for a cohort, a transparent and fair election should take place.
Gathering Nominations Elections should take place in first three weeks of term - by the Friday 13th October.
The preferred method of voting is Single Transferable Voting as this gives a strong democratic mandate to the winner of the elections. If you have any questions about voting or Single Transferable Voting, please email one of the Student Voice Team.
Students may be self nominated or nominated by other students, as long as the nominated student agrees to take on the role of Course Representative.
QUICK TIPS
Nominations can be gathered through: - Handing out Course Rep nomination forms to students, gathering nominations at the end of class, and holding elections during the next lesson.
• Design a survey using SurveyMonkey or
Google Drive to get quick and easy results.
- Seeking nominations by email or a post on BlackBoard, this should take place at least a week before holding the election.
• Send an email to students announcing the
election process and deadline for voting. You can also send out an announcement on Blackboard or social media. Add a link to the Course Rep video to remind them of the importance of voting!
Course Reps should not be selected by Course Leaders or merely carry on in year 2 or 3. Elections should take place every year, giving the opportunity for new Reps to be elected. Returning Course Reps should be reelected.
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AFTER THE ELECTIONS Registration
Student Staff Course Liaison Groups (SSCLGs)
Once you have elected your Course Representatives for each year group, you should ask them to self-register on Unilife (see link below), and forward their contact details to the Students’ Union. Failure to do so may mean they will not receive any communication from the Student Voice Team and may miss important information about training or upcoming events.
Course Reps will seek views from their course mates on academic issues and share this with staff during their Student Staff Course Liaison Groups. These meetings will happen once per term. Course Leaders should arrange the time and location of the meeting and invite members. Course Representatives from all years, Course Leader and the Course Management Team should be in attendance.
Training The Students’ Union will be holding a number of training sessions for Course Representatives throughout October and November, plus in February for the second intake. Training will take place on all campuses covering all aspects of the Course Rep role (chairing and minute-taking, effective representation, Committee structure, etc.) New course reps will have to attend training in person, returning course reps from the previous year will be asked to complete online training.
Final year Course Reps will be asked to chair the meetings with support from the Course Leader. Tasks as chair will include; setting the agenda, facilitating the discussion and keeping to a schedule. A Course Representative from another year will record action points of the meeting. These action points should be circulated to all members of the meeting. The Course Leader should forward action points to the Academic Standards and Quality Service’s Principal Quality Officer after the meeting..
LINKS Course Rep Registration link https://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3204-course-representation Course Rep Training dates https://www.uswsu.com/course-reps/training-events Information about SSCLGs http://www.uswsu.com/course-reps/student-staff-course-liaison-group Course Rep Removal Process http://www.uswsu.com/course-reps/course-rep-removal-process 5
WHAT TO DO IF? My cohort does not start until March?
My Course Rep is ineffective?
For courses that don’t start until February/ March time, it is just as important to elect a Course Representative. The procedure is the same as the elections held in September/ October. Don’t forget they still need to register on UniLife so the SU can invite them to training.
If you think that your Course Representative is not fulfilling their role adequately, please let the Students’ Union know. A new process is being developed for staff and students to express these concerns to the Student Voice Team who will look into individual cases. (see Course Rep Removal process link)
The SU will run more training sessions in the second term so make sure your Reps are aware of these dates. We can also run ad hoc or virtual sessions if your students are unable to attend in person.
The Student Voice Team will first check if your Course Rep has attended training and if they are engaging with the SU. The team will be in touch with you shortly after to decide on the right course of action. If it is deemed that the Course Representative has not been fulfilling the minimum requirements criteria, the SU will help facilitate more elections for the position.
No one wants to take on the role? If you are struggling to get any interest from your students in the position, you can try sending the link to the Course Rep video once more. It is important to highlight the reward scheme we have in place to recognise Course Rep’s hard work (the Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze Certificate). The Student Voice Team is developing the Student Voice section on the Students’ Union website, and a individual twitter account to to showcase Course Rep success stories and other testimonials to share which might help you promote the role.
To inform the Student Voice Team of any concerns regarding your Course Representative throughout the year, you can use the form on the SU website to contact us (see link on page 5).
If after taking these steps no one is prepared to take on the role, please contact the Students’ Union’s Student Voice Team. We can come and speak to your students to reiterate the importance of the role and work with you until a Course Representative is in place.
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WHO DOES WHAT? Course Leaders • Make the information about becoming a Course Rep accessible to students on the course. • Set up and run elections in each year group of their course. • Course Leaders should send the self-registration link to newly appointed Course Representatives and forward their contact details to the Student Voice Team • Set the time, date and location of Student Staff Course Liaison Groups and invite members. • Provide support to the final year Course Representative in chairing the meetings. • Chase up action points from Course Representatives and send them to the Academic Standards and Quality Service. • Monitor Course Representatives’ input and identify further training needs.
The Students’ Union • Promote the role of Course Representative during induction week to students. • Support staff with Course Rep elections on an ad hoc basis. • Maintain a Course Representative database and monitor gaps. • Invite all newly enrolled Course Representative to training. • Prepare Course Representatives to carry out the role effectively, including training on chairing and minute taking, effective representation and quality assurance. • Organise Course Representative Assemblies once every term to provide a platform for Course Representatives, Student Voice Representatives and the Students’ Union Officers to discuss common issues and come up with solutions to problems. • Offer further developmental training to Course Representatives where needed.
Course Representatives • Gather positive and negative feedback from students on their course and share this with their Course Management Team. • Attend Student Staff Course Liaison Group meetings once per term. • Attend Course Rep Assemblies once per term. • Feedback outcomes of these meetings to students on their course. • Final year Course Representatives will chair their SSCLG. • Another Course Representative will take action points and forward these to the Course Leader after the meeting. • Agree to represent the views of the majority on their course and gather evidence before
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STUDENTS’ UNION SUPPORT Support for Staff
Blackboard
The Student Voice Team at the Students Union consists of two members of staff, They manage the students representation network at the University of South Wales, and are available to assist you throughout the year. Please get in touch if you have any questions.
A Course Rep Blackboard organisation was created to which all Course Reps will be added once we have their details. All the information they need will be accessible there. Online training will also be delivered through the organisation. It is important that all Course Reps register on UniLife so that the SU has an accurate database of Course Reps and is able to send them information regarding their role.
Course Rep Training Training sessions will be held throughout October and November 2017 with top up sessions being organised during the year if needed. A number of topics will be covered during these sessions, for example, the Course Rep role, tips, boundaries and who’s who.
Course Rep Assembly and Events The Students’ Union will hold regular meetings on all campuses for Course Reps to meet with other reps, SVRs, SU Officers and SU staff. It gives them the opportunity to raise any issues they are unable to resolve and seek advice. It is also an opportunity for the SU Officers to pick up any issues they may need to address.
Course Reps Handbook and Information All Course Reps will be sent a Course Rep handbook containing all the information provided in training. It will also double up as an activity book where reps can note and document all of their Course Rep activities that will contribute towards the Course Rep Achievement Certificate at the end of the year.
As well as regular assembly meetings, the SU will hold many other events open to Course Reps. Speak Week, for instance, is an opportunity for Course Reps to gather feedback from students and raise awareness of their role through a week-long campaign across the institution.
Students’ Union - Student Voice Team Education & Representation Coordinator Sophie Banks sophie.banks@southwales.ac.uk Student Voice Coordinator Hannah Fatkin hannah.fatkin@southwales.ac.uk
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REWARD & RECOGNITION Recognition
Course Rep of the Year Award
Each year the Students’ Union rewards Course Reps for their achievements. Course Reps can receive a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum certificate depending on their engagement throughout the year.
Every year at the Student Choice Awards, hosted by the Students’ Union, a Course Rep is awarded Course Rep of the Year. The SU gathers nominations from students and the results are determined by a judging panel made up of students and SU staff.
The level of certificate is calculated via a points-based system. Course Reps are asked to complete an activity log to evidence their involvement. Once they have submitted this, they will be issued with one of the three certificates.
In April 2016, the award was given to Sian Jones. Sian was a first year student on the BA Combined Studies. She was elected as Student Voice Representative and Mature Students’ Officer for 2016/17, and is a Student Mentor. She is a great example of a Course Rep success story and truly deserved to win this award. She also continues on as an SVR in 2017/18 in her final year and is now Head of the Student Council.
Course Reps might ask you to sign off their Activities Log as evidence that they have attended their SSCLG. Attendance will count as 30 points for them and will help them achieve the higher certificate levels.
In April 2017, Szimona Szoradova was given the award. She was elected as Student Voice Representative for 2017/18 and will make a great addition to the SVR team,
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TIMELINE WEEK 1-2 (25th Sept - 6th Oct) Seek nominations from students and show the Course Rep video to each year group. Use the Course Rep job summary to help promote the role.
WEEK 3-4 (9th Oct - 20th Oct) Elect your course reps. Inform Course Representatives of the online registration on UniLife and send the Student Voice Team your course reps details. Inform them of the date, time and location of their first Student Staff Course Liaison Group meeting.
WEEK 5-8 (24th Oct - 17th Nov) The Students’ Union will deliver training. Course Representatives should find out about the dates on the SU website. If they have registered as a Course Rep, they will have received an email containing the relevant information. If Course Representatives have not been trained, please contact the Student Voice Team. You should liaise with the final year Course Representative about co-chairing the meeting and to find out if they have received the appropriate training.
WEEK 8 ONWARDS The Students’ Union is always on hand to support you and your Course Reps should you need it. If you have any concerns about one of your Course Reps not fulfilling the responsibilities of the role, please contact the Student Voice Team at the SU or submit a complaint via the SU website. All complaints and concerns will be investigated by the Student Voice Team.
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