Want More? Follow UUSU On
► Roles and Responsibilites
Roles & Responsibilities
Class Reps are the official representatives of students who study the same course. They have a vital role to play by enabling communication between the University and Students, to ultimately enhance the student learning & university experience. This can be achieved by following this four stage communication cycle which highlights, in brief, the role of a Class Rep:
|
Be aware of the issues that concern your course colleagues |
|
Attend the Staff Student Consultative Committee (SSCC)
|
|
Represent the views of your course colleagues at the SSCC, raising issues and concerns
|
|
Feedback responses to your course colleagues and to UUSU.
|
Let’s try and break it down a bit!
Students’ Issues and concerns
A Class Rep can get involved in various things - see the list below, which is not exhaustive but gives an idea of the issues that can be raised by Class Reps:
Curriculum issues
- Are the learning outcomes being met - is your programme delivering what they said it would in the prospectus?
- How relevant is the course to future study and employment?
- Are your timetables and workload appropriate?
Teaching & Learning issues
- Is the range of teaching and learning methods appropriate for delivering your curriculum?
- Should there be more lectures, labs or tutorials?
Issues relating to learning resources
- Are appropriate library services available?
- Is there ready access to computer facilities?
- Are the necessary programme specific materials and resources available?
- Is the accommodation and equipment that is used for your course adequate?
Issues relating to assessment
- Do you understand the criteria for assessment and the methods used?
- Could the timing for submission of coursework be reviewed? Is it too close to exams?
- Is there an unreasonable delay in the return of marked assignments?
- Are the comments made on marked assignments helpful?
Issues relating to Student Progression
- How many students drop out of the course?
- How many of each degree classification are awarded each year?
- How many students go into relevant graduate employment?
Issues about Quality & Standards
- Are course evaluation forms used and collected?
- Is such evaluation acted upon?
- Do you receive any information about what the department or course have done in light of student feedback?
Issues related to Student Representation
- Are students aware of the role of the Course Reps?
- Do they understand the mechanism of representation throughout the Students’ Union and University?
- Do the students receive sufficient feedback about what the Faculty has done in light of student feedback?
Broadly speaking Class Reps should bear in made that they can, on behalf of their course colleagues:
Comment on things that work well on the course
Provide constructive criticism on things that don’t work so well
Give suggestions on areas to consider for the course
Now that we’ve established that:
Teaching and Learning
Resources
Assessment
Progression
Quality and standards
Student Representation
are issues that you can raise, there are also issues that you must avoid!
- Disputes between students and academic staff, and between individual students (for example, harassment, discrimination and victimisation);
- Formal procedures (for example, exam failures, academic appeals, individual complaints, disciplinary hearings, etc.);
- Financial and funding queries including debt;
- Welfare problems, health and personal issues (for example, housing, employment and debt);
Please, Please, Please - Avoid them like the plague!
Why? Well, these sorts of issues can be really time consuming and complex and require some specialist training. It’s not that you’re incapable but you’ve enough on your plate! If students should approach you about these issues you should refer them onto the Students’ Union Sabbatical Officers, Student Support Services or Academic staff within your Faculty:
Don’t feel bad about referring someone onto a source of information who has agreed to provide such support.
