1. Knowledge is power; A more efficient approach to the Student Complaints System
Imogen Wiltshire
LUU Procedures Specialist/Democracy Support Manager
Aidan Grills
LUU Membership Services Manager

2. Aims of Session
To explore where the knowledge & power lies in complaints & appeals against our Universities.
To highlight the importance of a multi-strategy approach to representing our members academic concerns and complaints.
To communicate LUU’s model
To look to the future - does the OIA shift the balance of power?
To give participants the opportunity to discuss the experiences in their Union

3. Why has there been a growth in concerns and complaints?
Tuition fees = consumer relationship?
More competition in the graduate job market = enhanced expectations?
Increase in staff student ratios = less opportunity for informal feedback
Increase in student numbers without matched funding = over-stretched resources
Widening Participation = more diverse needs
Increase in awareness of right to complain - QAA, OIA, legal cases.

4. Why is this an issue for Student Unions?
A key role of all Student Unions is to represent all their members
Enhancing the student experience - pushing for progress
Provides opportunities for student development
Strengthens relationship with the Institution
If Student Unions don’t do it - who will?

5. How do we change bad decisions (and push for better ones)
A) Present a reasoned argument for change
Outline grievance i.e. What’s wrong/ should change
Acknowledge context i.e. Why this has happened
Illustrate impact
B)Present a reasonable alternative/remedy - key; you set the standard for reasonable.
Past decisions - historical in School, comparison with rest of University
National context - comparisons with other Universities
National standards - QAA, legal precedents, results from OIA etc.
The more a Union knows about what’s going on internally & externally the more power we have to raise the standards of ‘reasonable’.

6. What platforms do members have for making complaints
Ongoing Feedback (evaluation forms etc)
Grass roots School/Faculty representation
Individual complaints (advice centre)
Officer level involvement
Q; how do Unions keep up to date?

7. LUU’s model
Welfare & democracy Support Dept
Student with academic issues
Grassroots academic Reps
Individual Case
Policy Issue
LUU democratic structure
Education Officer
Resolution
& Prevention
Enhancing Academic Representation through multi-level representation –LUU’s model

8. Benefits of a multi-strategy approach
Members want their concerns and complaints addressed thoroughly, quickly, with least confrontation, and anonymously(?)
Officers can not address all the issues on their own
More efficient use of staff resources by enabling early resolution (benefits the institution too)
Enhances democracy - more students touched by the Union, more likely to feel like members

9. LUU’s Student Led Academic Representation

10. Background
Academic Representation constitutional responsibility of Education Officer
No coherent link between University wide student representation through LUU Executive Officers and local representation through 600 Student Reps
Student Reps were often under supported and developed
Lack of student representation at University Faculty level this was of concern to LUU and University

11. Academic Liaison Assistants
Team of 28 students recruited on a yearly basis by LUU (changing to 9 elected reps from 04/05)
Receive on going support and training by LUU
Faculty based link between LUU and Student Reps
Not employees but do receive a small financial bursary from LUU
Supervised by Democratic Support Co-Ordinator
Vision and direction guided by Education Officer
Supported and briefed by Education Officer and DSC prior to Faculty Committee meetings using information Student Reps

12. Roles & Functions of ALA
Create a stronger association between School based Student Reps and LUU
Promote development and participation opportunities available from LUU
Promote and gather discussion topics for Student Rep Forums
Carry out School based market research to develop or identify campaigns and lobbying opportunities for LUU Executive Officers
Results of Faculty Committee reported back to DSC who disseminates back to the ALAs and Education Officer
Gather School based student evidence

13. Why Student Led Representation?
Student Reps, Faculty Super Student Reps, ALAs and the Education Officer problems = opportunity to be resolved at the lowest level possible & address difficulties at the root
Formal Procedures are lengthy and often poorly understood by the student body
The earlier the resolution, the better the student experience

14. Specialist Led Individual Casework Representation

15. Background
Advice and representation centre staffed by a team of professional advice workers
Information & Advice on any aspect of student welfare including employment rights, consumer rights and other legal rights
Representation & Advocacy in specialist areas: Housing, Money, Immigration & Academic Procedures
Course/Academic issues - over 2000 enquiries & - roughly 300 ‘case’s a year
In past primarily responded to formal procedures now moving towards supporting students to initiate early/informal resolution

16. Levels of Support Information Leaflets, web & info desk Guidance
One-off advice
Drop-in, telephone and
Casework
Act as Representative
‘Run’ the case

17. Procedures Casework 2 types;
Student initiated i.e. appeals & complaints
University initiated i.e. disciplinary, health & conduct, plagiarism
Informal/Early Resolution = pre-empting problems & addressing concerns at earliest opportunity

18. Procedures Specialist - what I do
Support all Procedures casework
Represent more complex cases
Produce publications
Deliver internal training & manual
Update Welfare & Democracy Support Manager on issues with resource implications
Manage Democracy Support Team
Provide Policy Support to Education Officer

19. Procedures Specialist - what enables me to do this?
Resources:
Part of team of caseworkers
Advice Centre infrastructure
Experience:
Types
Lots of it
Network:
Links with all layers of democracy & representative bodies

20. Officer Led Policy Representation

21. Education Officer Education Officer member LUU Executive Committee
Constitutional responsibility to provide academic representation for student body within LUU and University Committee structure
Oversees and monitors the work and development of Faculty & Student Reps
Provides the vision and direction for the work of the ALA
Deals with group academic cases on a Policy Level e.g. inadequate resources, breaches of best practice etc. Through committees or direct contact.
Represents students within University Committee structure in pushing for change to prevent future complaints

22. Multi-strategy Not mutually exclusive
Possible to achieve multi-level remedies i.e. individual, course & policy
Joined-up policy support

23. Pooling knowledge - our future plans
University documentation – archive with searchable database
Archive of School documentation
Increased use of surveys of School by Union Academic reps
Recording past decisions
University Committees,
Advice Centre Casework (NUS national casework project model)
Officer’s policy work
National networking
OIA – utilise good practice