What is your function as an SSC rep?
- To make yourself known to the students you are representing and the staff you will be working with on the committee.
- To collect the views of students on your course.
- To present student views effectively at SSC meetings.
- To report any agreed action back to students.
- To follow up meetings to ensure that action is being taken.
- Feed forward information to the Students' Union for further action in University Committees
How to achieve this
Course Representatives are the voices of students throughout the University system. From Staff-Student Committees through to University Council, Student Representatives ensure that a students' perspective is considered during decision-making. In order to make the system work effectively, Course Representatives need to collect student opinion. You should not assume that your views are necessarily the same as your course-mates. There are many ways in which to collect student's views: 1) Making Yourself Known
For you to represent your course-mates effectively it is obviously important for them to know who you are. You can briefly introduce yourself at the start of a lecture. Your department should also have an SSC notice board on which you can display information. If you are unsure where this is situated in your department, enquire at your Departmental office.---> The Vice President (Education) can help you to prepare a short speech for your lectures, and provide you with resources to make a simple poster for your departmental notice board, with your name, email address and photo.
2) Collect Student Views
Most students now use email and it is one of the easiest and quickest ways to stay in touch with people. Make sure you publicise your email address to your course-mates by advertising it on the SSC notice board in your department. It is also worth sending all of your course-mates an email at the start of the year after you have been elected. Most departments can help you with this by either giving you a copy of the student mailing list or by forwarding a message to your classmates for you. Once students have your email address, it is then easy for them to send you their views. ---> You can also join the Course Representatives email mailing list and receive information useful for your position from the Students' Union, by sending an email headed 'Course Reps email list' to educationunit@le.ac.uk.
Other methods for collecting information from students include lecture shouts, notice boards within the department and holding regular surgeries. The most systematic method to ensure that you are representing the views of all the students on your course is to distribute a short questionnaire. Speak to the Students' Union Education Unit and they will help you write a survey.
---> If your course-mates want to discuss a particular issue of their course in general, you can use a room in the Students' Union to hold a private meeting of your own. Rooms can be booked in person through the Union Reception or by phoning 0116 223 1111.
3) Be Effective in Meetings
A Course Representative will take student views to the SSC and ensure that the committee considers the student position when decisions are made. To get the most out of meetings it is important to remember that these are forums that aim to bring about action. They are not “talking shops” or places to go and simply “have a moan”. Most SSCs take place in a given time slot so it is important that you stick to the important points that need to be raised. Training on meeting skills will be provided at the Union's Course Representative Training but here are a few pointers to bear in mind:
- Have specific, clear objectives before you go into the meeting.
- Ensure that you know the names of everybody present, and that they know yours.
- Request that everything you want discussed is put on the agenda beforehand. If you wish to present a paper it is advisable that you get this circulated with the agenda before the meeting so that everyone has had a chance to read it. This will normally mean that you will have to think about issues at more than two weeks before the meeting.
- Listen as well as speak - “one at a time” is the only way that works.
- If you don't understand anything - ask.
- If you feel that something is important, ask that it be minuted.
- Be absolutely clear at the end of the meeting what has been agreed and what action, if any, is to be taken and who is to take it.
- Afterwards, “de-brief” yourself or with a colleague and ask yourself: have I achieved my objectives? If yes, how, and if not, why not?
Making sure action is taken is straightforward enough, but there are a whole range of factors that sometimes hinder action. One way of encouraging action is to ensure that during the meeting every task is allocated to a person and a deadline is set against which it can be measured. If nothing is being done, raise the matter with the staff members on your committee. If this fails, approach your Faculty Representative or the Vice President (Education) for advice and intervention if necessary.
4) Reporting back to students
It's not all over when the meeting stops. You have to keep those you represent informed of the outcome. An effective way to reach all the students in your department is to email them with any outcomes from the meeting or send them the minutes via an attachment. The minutes from each meeting should be posted on the Departmental website and on the SSC notice board. Speak to lecturers in your department and they may allow you to speak briefly to your fellow students at the beginning of lectures in order for you to keep the students you represent informed. The web is also a useful way to communicate to fellow students. The Students' Union Education Officer will help set up some web space on the Students' Union site for you. 5) Reporting to the Students' Union
Make the Students' Union aware of any issue that needs further action that cannot be resolved by yourself in a SSC. There are several things you will need to do:
- Attend Course Representatives Council. This meets once a term to discuss any issues that need to be raised by the Students' Union in University Committees. It is chaired by your Faculty Representative and is attended by the Vice President (Education) and the Education Officer. It is a forum for discussion of new ideas with other Course Representatives from other departments. Course Representatives Council also keep Course Representatives informed of any projects the Students' Union is undertaking and any national educational issues.
- Contact your Faculty Representative. Details on how to contact the Faculty Reps are at the back of this Handbook. Every department should also display the details of how to get hold of your Faculty Rep on student notice boards. Faculty Reps can then report to the Students' Union via Education Committee, which Course Representatives can be invited to for the presentation of certain issues.
- Report directly to the Vice President (Education). An open door policy is operated whereby you can pop in whenever is convenient for you. The office is situated in the Executive corridor on the first floor of the Students' Union above the Union Shop. Alternatively you can book an appointment by phoning 0116 223 1128 or emailing vp.education@le.ac.uk.
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Please note:
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A Course Representative is not a councillor or advisor. Course Representatives are not trained to deal with an individual student's problems or any form of harassment. Trying to advise on these things can ultimately lead to greater problems for the student. A Course Representative's role in this situation would be to advise the student to speak to their personal tutor or visit Advisory Services in the Students' Union (situated on the first floor above the Travel Shop). An appointment can be made by phoning 0116 223 1228 or emailing educationunit@le.ac.uk
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