What You’ll Learn

• Class Rep skills• The representational system• What is required of you• What support you will receive• Plus, you’ll meet other class reps!

Ice breaker

• What is your name?• What is your course?• Why did you stand to be a Course Rep?• Tell us one thing that you’d like to change

or improve about your course/School

Overview of Student Representation

SSCCs are the platform for students and staff in the School to sit down to discuss and resolve academic and school related issues which arise.

• SSCC stands for Staff Student Consultative Committee• It should meet ideally twice per semester• There’s at least one in each School• A student should chair the meeting

Staff Student Consultative Committees (SSCCs)

The Format of SSCCs

Members include:Chair (ideally a student), Secretary (member of staff/student who takes minutes), Course Reps, relevant members of staff and other invited guests (such as school Societies).

Before the meeting:• Send any issues you wish to be on the agenda• Prepare for any issues you wish to raise• Read the minutes from the last meeting• Receive the agenda and ensure you attend in good time.

During the meeting:• The Chair will announce apologies of those who can’t attend• The Chair will ask if everything was ok with the minutes from the last meeting• The SSCC will discuss issues on agenda • Any other business will be discussed (any issues that have come up at the last

minute)• The SSCC will confirm an action list for issues raised during the meeting• The Chair will confirm the time and place of the next meeting

Student Views

Why do we have Course Reps?

The Student Experience

Why do we have Course Reps?

What do you think the purpose of the Student Rep is?

What do you think some of the tasks will be?

What skills do you think you will need and develop as a Rep?

How do you think being a Rep will benefit you?

What exactly is a Course Rep?

Purpose

To continuously improve the student learning experience in partnership with the College and Students’ Union by helping create solutions to problems.

To represent your fellow classmates’ views and opinions on all matters relating to learning and teaching.

To provide both positive and negative feedback to staff.

To act as a communication channel between staff and students.

What exactly is a Course Rep?

Tasks

• Introduce yourself to your class• Gather student opinion• Provide feedback to staff and students• Present student views at meetings• Attend meetings• Speak to people outside of meetings• Develop solutions to issues• Pass issues onto The Students’ Union• Contribute to institutional activities

What exactly is a Course Rep?

• Communication• Listening• Networking• Relationship building• Reflection• Presentation• Organisation

• Report writing• Diplomacy• Negotiation• Research• Time management• Prioritisation

What exactly is a Course Rep?

Skills

• Learn new skills

• CV material

• Networking opportunities

• Background for future Representational roles

• Good experience for future employment

• Can be validated through ‘Degree Plus’

• Can be validated through Millennium Volunteers (Volunteer SU)

– email Lucia Kearney l.kearney@qub.ac.uk

• Inspiring Leaders (Volunteer SU) – apply beginning semester 2

• Make a difference

What exactly is a Course Rep?

Benefits

• A second year module is too difficult

• A handbook of resources would be more practical than online resources

• A broken elevator in the building

• Poor NSS completion results

• Assignment feedback taking too long

• Lack of student/ staff contact

• Unclear marking criteria

• Poor library resources for your course topic

• Time of the lecture is very late

• Lecturer is picking on me

• I don’t like the course

• I feel that student fees are too high

• I don’t think I should have failed an assignment

Do Don’t

What issues should I deal with as a Course Rep?

Signposting Students

• Initial training• Continual training – workshops – see Workshop Calendar• Club Rooms in The Students’ Union• Access to information• Group sessions with your Student Officer Education,

Hannah Niblock• For advice and support in your role please get in touch with

your Student Officer Education, Hannah Niblock by emailing su.vpeducation@qub.ac.uk

• Resource Page online – www.qubsu.org

What supportwill I receive?

• Listen to students• Be visible - your name and contact details should be on a

noticeboard, sent out to students via email and will be on The Students’ Union website.

• Gather student opinion• Work with your School Rep or other Course Reps and any

school Societies

How to be a good Rep?

• Hand up before/after class• Emails• Face to face chats• Online spaces: Facebook, Twitter, Internet, and Online

polls• Surveys• Post it notes in tutorials• Comment boxes• Focus groups

How do I gather students’ opinions?

Feedback to Students

• The minutes of SSCC will be fed back to students via your School Student Liaison Officer, the School noticeboard, and website.

• Your School Rep will produce a newsletter each Semester with a summary of news from SSCC, Academic Board, and Student Union Council.

• What can I do? o Talk to studentso Lecture shout outso Social mediao Contribution to newslettero Other innovative means you come up with

provided you clear it with your Student Liaison Officer

Degree Plus?

Course Reps – Route A

• Attendance at:– SSCC– Training Sessions– Workshops– Drop in Sessions with VP

Education• Newsletter for students

– Forwarded to VP Education• Other activities:

– Speaking to students before and after SSCC meetings

School Reps – Route A

• Attendance at: – SSCC as Chairperson– Academic Board– Student Council– Training Sessions– Student Rep Meetings

• Newsletter for Students– Forwarded to VP Education

• Other activities:– Speaking to students before

and after SSCC meetings

Questions?

Thank You!!