1. How to be an effective Course Representative

2. Introduction How to be an effective Course Representative
Working in pairs:
Introduce your self to each other and find out each other’s name, course and year of study
Write this information on a sheet of A4 paper
Take a picture of each other holding up this paper
Send the picture to

3. 1 2 3 4 Aims and objectives Explore the role of a Course Rep
How to be an effective Course Representative
Aims and objectives
Explore the role of a Course Rep 1 2
Identify skills needed by Course Reps 3
Identify ways of gathering student opinion and evidence 4
Discuss meeting practice

4. Sumeera, Will, Adam & Miranda
How to be an effective Course Representative
What is the Students’ Union?
Sabbatical Team
Sumeera, Will, Adam & Miranda
‘The Students’ Union is a campaigning and representative body which aims to advance education for students at Queen Mary, University of London’.

5. What is the Students’ Union?
How to be an effective Course Representative
What is the Students’ Union?
Our MISSION
To improve students' lives.
Our VISION
For all students to feel part of a Queen Mary community where they can develop, are supported and can make changes on issues that affect them.
Our VALUES
Student Led & Democratic
Diverse & Inclusive
Open & Accessible
Progressive & Creative
Welcoming & Fun

6. How it works Students' Union Members (You!)
Elected Officers (including VP Education) - sit on many University Committees etc.
Student Council (includes all elected Officers, full and part-time) - passes policy and holds Officers to account
Education Zone (includes Faculty, First Year, International, PGT and PGR Reps) - proposes policy, runs campaigns etc.
Faculty Reps (x2) - sit on Faculty and University Committees
School Reps (1 per SSLC) - liaise with Faculty Reps
Senior Reps - can be School Reps and Co-chairs
Course Reps
Students

7. What is the role of a Course Rep?
How to be an effective Course Representative
What is the role of a Course Rep?
Task
Why do we have Course Reps and why did you want to be one? (Call out your answers)

8. What is the role of a Course Rep?
How to be an effective Course Representative
What is the role of a Course Rep?
To represent students’ views on the learning and teaching on your course.
To gather evidence and opinions from students on your course.
To work with the Students’ Union and the University to improve the student experience.

9. Course Rep Job Description
Course Representative
Course Representatives are elected by the students on their course. Course Reps are the link between students and staff on their course. They ask for students' views and represent them at Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) meetings, work with staff to improve their course, ask for changes, and solve any course-related problems. Course Reps work with the Students’ Union QMSU and its elected officers, to help make things better for their fellow students.
Responsibilities:
1. To attend the training provided by QMSU.
2. Attend SSLC meetings and contribute to the discussion.
3. Ask for opinions/issues from students before SSLC meetings.
4. Ask for items to be included on the SSLC agenda.
5. Give feedback to students after SSLC meetings.
6. To raise course related issues with teaching or support staff as they happen.
How to be an effective Course Representative
Course Rep Job Description

10. Faculty Reps 2016-17 HSS Petros Petrikkos p.petrikkos@hss14.qmul.ac.uk
Chowdhury Albab Kadir
S&E
Hashim Mastan
Lewis Williams

11. Faculty Forums HSS Faculty Forum Semester 1
A Faculty Forum shall be held once each semester.
Membership of the Faculty Forum shall be as follows:
Faculty Representatives (one of whom will take the Chair)
All School Reps from within the Faculty
PGT and PGR Reps from each SSLC
Chairs and Secretaries of each SSLC within the Faculty (whether staff, or student Co-chair)
The QMSU VP Education
The QMSU Education Representation and Policy Coordinator (Secretary)
The Deans of Faculty will be invited to their Faculty’s Faculty Forums.
Any Course Rep may attend their Faculty’s Faculty Forums.
Faculty Forums
HSS Faculty Forum Semester 1
S&E Faculty Forum Semester 1
S&E Faculty Forum Semester 2
HSS Faculty Forum Semester 2

12. What should you not deal with?
How to be an effective Course Representative
What should you not deal with?
Pass it on…
Students may come to you with more personal problems. Remember, you are not a councillor or an advisor, so please pass them on!
You can direct students to the Students’ Union Academic Advice service, or the University’s Advice and Counselling and Disability and Dyslexia services.
If you are not sure what to do, just ask a member of University staff or someone in the Students’ Union to help.

13. Who are you resposnible to?
How to be an effective Course Representative
Who are you resposnible to?
As an elected representative, you are responsible to certain stakeholders.
Task
Who do you think you are responsible to? (Call out your answers)

14. Who are you accountable to?
How to be an effective Course Representative
Who are you accountable to?
Some of the people you are responsible to…
Students on your course!
The University.
The Students’ Union.
Other Course Reps.
Future students (you can help make things better for them!)

15. 1 2 3 4 5 What are the benefits for you?
How to be an effective Course Representative
What are the benefits for you?
The opportunity to volunteer – volunteer agreement 1 2
Great opportunity to develop and demonstrate new skills
Can be included on your CV to enhance your employability 3 4
You get to meet new people from across the University 5
Receive recognition at the end of the year at the Students’ Union Education Awards

16. Education Awards What are they? When are they?
How to be an effective Course Representative
Education Awards
What are they?
The Education Awards are to recognise Course Reps and University staff.
When are they?
Date tbc
Drapers Hall, London

17. What skills will you develop?
How to be an effective Course Representative
What skills will you develop?
Task
Working in pair, discuss the skills you think you need to be a good Course Rep (You will be asked to call out your answers)

18. What skills will you develop?
How to be an effective Course Representative
What skills will you develop?
Skills Checklist
Leadership
Interpersonal
Listening
Speaking
Problem solving
Presentation
Negotiation
Team-working
Time management

19. QM Skills Award helps YOU:
Recognise the skills you have developed through your dedication to QMSU
Strengthen and gain further employability skills
Articulate your skills to employers
Identify further development opportunities
As a Course Rep YOU are eligible for this Award!
To get the Award in March you need to:
Register
Attend 3 Skills Award training sessions
Complete reflective exercises

20. Meetings with your School
How to be an effective Course Representative
Meetings with your School
Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLCs) meeting.
SSLCs are a meeting of staff from your course and Course Reps.
SSLCs are formal meetings and a part of the University’s quality process.
They are used to discuss and receive feedback on the student learning experience.
The SSLC has a Chair and Secretary.
There should be an agenda, minutes and actions.
You are a full member of the SSLC and you can ask for items to be put on the agenda.

21. Meetings with your School
How to be an effective Course Representative
Meetings with your School
SSLCs aren't everything
If problems arise between SSLC meetings, you do not need to wait until the next SSLC. You can always contact the relevant staff member directly, or seek advice from the SSLC Chair or Secretary.

22. Meetings with your School
How to be an effective Course Representative
Meetings with your School
Task
Working in pairs, think about what you should do…
1 – Before a meeting
2 – During a meeting
3 – After a meeting
(You will be asked to call out your answers)

23. Meetings with your School
How to be an effective Course Representative
Meetings with your School
Before a meeting
Ask students for opinions or problems and collect evidence
Prepare arguments and offer solutions
Talk with other Reps
Put items on the agenda
During a meeting
Take notes
Mention things you like as well as problems
Support each other
After a meeting
Feedback to students
Monitor follow-up actions (including your own!)

24. Meetings with your School
How to be an effective Course Representative
Meetings with your School
Just complaining won’t always help...

25. Gathering evidence Simple ways to gather evidence…
How to be an effective Course Representative
Gathering evidence
Why and how should you gather evidence?
Simple ways to gather evidence…
Discussions before or after class.
Ask for a couple of minutes in a lecture.
Set up a Facebook group.
Send a group .
Create a survey.
Noticeboards and newsletters.
Hold a meeting.

26. What information is already available?
How to be an effective Course Representative
What information is already available?
National Student Survey
The National Student Survey provides us with a wealth of evidence about the student learning experience.
If you would like more information on an issue, contact the Union and we will help find evidence to back up your argument. Being evidence-based is vital as it means your argument will stand up better.

27. How to be an effective Course Representative
QM Student Survey

28. 1 2 3 4 Negotiation Top tips to negotiation
How to be an effective Course Representative
Negotiation
You are not always going to get exactly what you want, so you may need to negotiate.
Top tips to negotiation
Remember there are always at least two sides to every issue. 1 2
Make your argument evidence based. 3
Provide options, in case you don’t get your first choice. 4
Listen carefully and show respect for each other.

29. See hand-out Problem tree analysis
How to be an effective Course Representative
Problem tree analysis
Helps to identify the root causes of a problem and not the symptoms, ensuring that you offer possible solutions which address the cause rather than the effects.
See hand-out

30. See hand-out The student learning experience
How to be an effective Course Representative
The student learning experience
Collecting students’ opinions
Use this sheet to help collect student opinions.
Remember to ask why and how things could be improved
See hand-out

31. How to be an effective Course Representative
QReview
Q-Review (QMUL’s lecture capture system) contributes to the student learning experience through the provision of lecture recordings for review and revision, it also provides accessible versions of live lectures, particularly important for disabled students.

32. How to be an effective Course Representative
QReview
QReview is not currently used by all staff in all schools – although all schools are now QReview Schools, individual lecturers are able to opt out without giving a reason.
We want to help you press to have all lectures recorded and made available through Qreview, by raising the matter formally at your SSLC.
There are a number of issues and concerns typically raised by staff who are reluctant to use Qreview – these are a selection:

33. How to be an effective Course Representative
QReview
I don’t have time to attend training to learn how to edit, what other options are available?
Can I edit my recording?
Will I end up on YouTube?
Who can view my recordings?
I don’t want to record my video, I only want to record my computer screen and audio, can I still use Q-Review?
Who ‘owns’ the recording? Will I be able to remove it if I don’t like it?
Will my students stop attending?

34. How to be an effective Course Representative
QReview
Will my recordings will be made available to students immediately, giving me no time to make edits or decide if I want to use it?
Will recordings be used for performance management or quality control?
My materials contain commercially sensitive information, what shall I do?
Will recordings replace the lecturer?
Aren’t lecture recordings for distance learning institutions? We are not a distance learning institution and want to teach face-to-face?

35. How to be an effective Course Representative
QReview
My materials contain commercially sensitive information, what shall I do?
Will recordings replace the lecturer?
Aren’t lecture recordings for distance learning institutions? We are not a distance learning institution and want to teach face-to-face?
Where can I find more help and guidance on using Q-Review?

36. Resources How to be an effective Course Representative

37. 1 2 3 4 Aims and objectives Explore the role of a Course Rep
How to be an effective Course Representative
Aims and objectives
Explore the role of a Course Rep 1 2
Identify skills needed by Course Reps 3
Identify ways of gathering student opinion and evidence 4
Discuss meeting practice

38. How to be an effective Course Representative
Lunch and Learn
Personal Development Planning (PDP)
Monday, 21 November (13.00 – 14.00)
Tuesday, 22 November (13.00 – 14.00)
Thursday, 24 November (13.00 – 14.00)
Friday, 25 November (13.00 – 14.00)
Communication
Monday, 28 November (13.00 – 14.00)
Tuesday, 29 November (12.00 – 13.00)
Public Speaking
Thursday, 1 December (13.00 – 14.00)
Friday, 2 December (13.00 – 14.00)
Interpersonal Skills
Monday, 5 December (13.00 – 14.00)
Tuesday, 6 December (13.00 – 14.00)
Self – management (Personal Effectiveness)
Thursday, 8 December (13.00 – 14.00)
Monday, 12 December (13.00 – 14.00)
Problem Solving
Monday, 16 January (13.00 – 14.00)
Tuesday, 17 January (13.00 – 14.00)
Presentation Skills
Thursday, 19 January (13.00 – 14.00)
Friday, 20 January (13.00 – 14.00)
Negotiation Skills
Monday, 23 January (13.00 – 14.00)
Tuesday, 24 January (12.00 – 13.00)
Team Work
Thursday, 26 January (13.00 – 14.00)
Friday, 27 January (13.00 – 14.00)
Further Training
Further training planned for includes: Let us know if you would like us to provide anything else.

39. Questions Training evaluation and feedback Do you have any questions?
How to be an effective Course Representative
Questions
Do you have any questions?
Training evaluation and feedback
We hope you found today useful. However, we are always keen to improve, so please fill out a training evaluation form and hand it back before leaving.

40. How to be an effective Course Representative

41. QMUL Agenda Template

42. QMUL Minutes Template

43. Minutes Template Contd…

44. SSLC Guidance
Quality Assurance Handbook / Updated & approved Senate 03/10/13 V1.1