Student Reps

So you’ve volunteered to be a Student Rep for your course, but just what is it all about?

The role of Student Reps. is an important one because the College values the opinions of students; you are the people in the best position to tell the college about what they are doing right and what needs improving.

WHAT DOES A STUDENT REP DO?

Student Reps play an important role within College life. The role of a Rep is to:

  • improve student-staff communication
  • represent the interests of course members
  • sit on various committees within the College
  • be a channel through which grievances and ideas can be aired and acted upon by relevant members of staff
  • help organise social events and recreational events

Being a Rep gives you an opportunity to make sure the students within your department are treated fairly. You should be aware of what is taking place within your department, be able to direct complaints, monitor situations and follow up agreements. You will help students to get the most out of their course by taking their opinions and concerns to the staff and making sure that there is a student input in tackling any problems. By providing well-informed feedback and new ideas, Student Reps are a valuable resource to their department, and help the College to provide a positive environment for successful study.

The basic commitment will mean finding out what your fellow students’ needs and views are, consulting with them on a regular basis, attending meetings and relaying information back to the department and course members.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THE SCHEME?

For Reps. the benefits include:

  • gaining knowledge of a wide range of useful skills and experiences, a sense of responsibility and achievement
  • personal development – interpersonal skills, problem solving communication, teamwork, leadership
  • enhanced employment prospects – it is a positive thing to have on a CV and to talk about at interviews
  • Helping to make a positive difference for students at the college

For College the benefits include:

  • getting direct views and opinions from students
  • providing staff with feedback about the content, teaching methods and workload on their courses
  • suggestions to help make the college a better place to be
  • helping resolve problems early on before they lead to formal appeal or complaint procedures

TIME COMMITMENT

The Student Reps Committee currently meets about once a month during term-time

COMMON COMPLAINTS AND ISSUES DEALT WITH

The variety of issues which you might be asked to deal with will be vast, but some of the most common ones include:

  • rooms - too hot/cold, poor disabled access, overcrowded
  • reading lists - having enough of the right books at the library
  • timetables - alterations or changes made to module structure
  • learning methods – delivery too fast/slow, poor use of resources, low quality handouts
  • content and structure – out of date, too specific, poorly ordered, uneven weighting on particular areas
  • workload – too much/too little, timing of course work
  • others – cancelled lectures, late lectures, discrimination, problems with lecturers
  • College resources - refectory, sports, socials

STUDENT REPS ON COLLEGE COMMITTEES

Part of the role of the Reps is to sit on various College committees. We actively encourage Student Reps to put themselves or others forward to be elected onto the following committees which meet half-termly, termly or annually:

  • Full College Corporation
  • Curriculum & Quality
  • Academic Board
  • Health & Safety
  • Equality & Diversity

WHO CAN WE TURN TO FOR HELP?

It is the College’s responsibility to ensure that the Student Reps receive the necessary support and information to fulfil their role. Learning Mentors, will sit on the committee and can be contacted via College email or by phone on 01480 379199.