Representation training Example presentation slides This presentation consists of example slides for you to adapt with the relevant information of your college and/or students’ union. Each slide gives you examples and things to consider for when you are adding in your relevant information.

Welcome and introduction Insert photos, names and job titles of the staff running the training

Icebreaker: ‘Human Bingo’ Facilitate an ice breaker such as Human Bingo to get the day off to a good start and allow the participants to get to know each other. See ‘Human Bingo’ exercise sheet and ‘Human Bingo cards’ for more information.

Housekeeping Talk through the basics in terms of housekeeping (fire emergency exit procedure, breaks, refreshments and lunch arrangements, smoking rules, any photography throughout the day etc)

What we’ll cover today Insert agenda It’s important to run through the agenda for the day and let participants ask any questions they have even if you have given out paper copies of the agenda.

What we won’t cover today Insert information It is also important to have a think about beforehand and explain what you won’t cover if there are key items you think the participants may expect you to cover which won’t be and sign-post to other sources of information. This helps to manage expectations and reduce any disappointment.

Ground rules To establish common understanding of how we work together to establish a supportive environment To build trust and respect The support the trainer to enable the delegates to get what they need from the training It is important to set some ground rules and the best way to do this is ask the participants to create them for themselves. Ask reps why the should have ground rules and what these should be. Write on a flipchart and display in the wall throughout the training.

Hopes & Fears Introduce idea of Hopes and Fears (for the training session) and ask delegates to write at least one of each on a post-it and stick to the relevant flip-chart.   Explain it is useful to think about what you hope to gain from the training session and also what you are particularly wary of, what you worry will be the most difficult or be the biggest challenge during the session. Mention these will be revisited at the end of the training to ensure that learning needs are met and challenges addressed. Read out the hopes and fears one by one and try to group them into common areas– review these with the delegates, reflecting on key areas and explain that we will review these at the end of the session.

Session 1 What is a representative? Learning objectives: Articulate the purpose of a representative Identify key tasks undertaken by representative Explore and agree the skills and qualities required to be an effective representative Introduce learning objectives for the section

What is the purpose of a representative 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.

Responsibilities of a representative 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 college or students’ union Contribute to college activities and processes

Key skills and attributes of a rep Representative – the ability to gather and advocate student views The ability to analyse and report on information gathered Research skills Approachable and contactable Able to negotiate Diplomatic, impartial and supportive Critical and questioning A strong communicator with tack including active listening and presentation skills Knowledgeable on students concerns and priorities Organised Proactive and solution focused Networking and relationship building ability Able to reflect and identify areas for improvement in own performance Ability to manage time and prioritise when required

Learning objectives review Articulate the purpose of a representative Identify key tasks undertaken by representative Explore and agree the skills and qualities required to be an effective representative Introduce learning objectives for the section

Session 2 How to represent Learning objectives: Understand what feedback to gather from students List and discuss a range of feedback mechanisms to capture the student voice Identify how to be an effective communicator Create and develop effective solutions to a course quality issue

Capturing the student voice As a course representative you should be one of the first people that students raise their feedback, issues or concerns with regarding their experience of their course . It is then your responsibility to take the appropriate actions: Listen carefully to the student‘s feedback Collate the student feedback and formulate the evidence Decide whether you should raise the feedback promptly direct to a staff member or take the feedback to your next staff-student liaison meeting.

What do I gather feedback on? Course Quality Curriculum Feedback and assessment Learning resources Learning and teaching Quality assurance & enhancement Student Support Student progression

The feedback loop Gather feedback Feedback to peers Build Evidence Solution Focused Feedback to peers Introduce the concept of the feedback loop in relation to the course rep role by referring to examples for each stage within the cycle: Gather Feedback: This is where you contact your course peers to identify key comments and feedback they want raised. This is where you identify the issues on your course. You can do this via a number of different communication methods, which we’ll explore later on in the session. 2. Build Evidence: Remember you always need to be providing evidence for the feedback you have received from your course peers. This can be done through a number of ways e.g. collated student comments, statistics, examples. 3. Solution focused: Ensure when you present your feedback and engage in discussions with staff, either at committee meetings or informally chatting with staff, you are trying to identify solutions to the issues raised. A students’ perspective will focus discussion on a positive outcome and you are more likely to have ideas that staff have not considered. 4. Feedback to peers: Remember to close the feedback loop. Feedback to your course peers after any meetings (both formal and informal), remember that you are representing them, so they should know the outcome of the feedback they gave you. Again, you can use many different methods to ensure responses and actions are fed back clearly.

Communications methods Lecture Shout Outs Course Facebook group Virtual Learning Environment Student poll Conduct a survey Question/issue box Forums or focus groups Notice board space Group email Social Media Existing surveys

Top tips Questions: What is it you want to find out? Consider who your audience is, make your questions easy to understand and avoid misleading or biased questions. Does the question lead to a particular response? Is it an open question (e.g. doesn’t just have a yes/no answer)? How should the data be collected: What information is necessary? What will you do with the information? Consider the strengths and weaknesses of collection methods, which is the best to use for what information you seek?

Top tips Existing data: What secondary data is out there? Is the data current? How does it relate to the feedback you have collected? Does it inform or contextualise the information you have already collected from your peers or help you to form questions to ask them? How you are going to analyse or interpret the data :Is it qualitative or quantitative feedback? How are you going to analyse the feedback? What are the main points/themes from the data and what is the most effective way to present the information?

Providing feedback to staff Accurate: be specific, and provide evidence for what you are saying. Balanced: present negative and positive feedback Constructive: be solution focused Depersonalised: do not mention staff members by name Feedback should be widely expressed, deeply felt and achievable.

Problem tree Consequences Problem Root causes

Problem tree example Reflects badly on the college Demotivated students Students can’t improve in time for the next assessment Poor results Feedback from assessment always takes too long Not enough teaching staff Staff have too much work Deadlines all set at the same time

Solution tree Effects Vision Solutions

Solution tree example Students see steady improvement Motivated students Institution sets best practice College commit to a 4 week maximum feedback policy Staggered deadlines will spread out work load for staff Request for deadlines to be staggered

Learning objectives review Understand what feedback to gather from students List and discuss a range of feedback mechanisms to capture the student voice Identify how to be an effective communicator Create and develop effective solutions to a course quality issue