University of the West of England

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University of the West of England

• Student Representation
• May 2007

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University and Union (1)

• Model A - organisation of representation managed
  at faculty, school or department level without
  clear links to the SU
• Model B - management of representation led by the
  faculty, school, or department and supported by
  the SU
• Model C organisation of representation led by
  the institution through Student Services.

HEFCW, Student Representation Structures in HEIs
across Wales, York Consulting Limited, 2007
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Union(1)
AGM
Student Representative Council
Student Representative Council (SRC)
Activities Council
Sports Council
Faculty Student Councils (FSC)
Student Reps
Students
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Where are we now? (1)

• 933 Student Reps _at_ Course Level
• University Target 989 (approx)
• Over 80 were recruited within the first four
  weeks of teaching
• 232 Student reps provided with 2 hour induction
  training
• 500 (approx) Student Rep handbooks distributed
• Reps have spent over 2000 hours in meetings this
  academic year

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Where are we now? (2)

• Student Rep Achievements
• Improvements to Assessment Return Procedures
• Key Input on University-wide module
• Scrapping Facilities Fees in Associate Faculty
• Feedback on Assessment Feedback
• Student led liaison group between placement
  office and student body
• Input on E-Learning Developments
• Key feedback at Course and Modular Levels
• The little things in life
• Heavy duty stapler
• Projectors facing the wrong way
• Roof leaking
• Speed bumps
• Hand-back procedures

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How did we get to where we are?

• The three main drivers were
• UWESU developing a network of FT Staff and
  Elected Officers to support student reps (Student
  Rep Support Team)
• Faculty Student Councils (FSC) and Student
  Representative Councils (SRC)
• Introducing Attendance Allowance

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Student Rep Support Team (1)

• There is a fairly open culture, but if the
  overall system for representation is not
  coordinated effectively, things get lost or
  cannot be referred to the proper channels.

HEFCW, Student Representation Structures in HEIs
across Wales, York Consulting Limited, 2007
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Student Rep Support Team (2)

• Consists of SRC President, SRC VP (elected), 4
  members of staff (FT,TT)
• Sharing good practice across Faculties
• Student Rep Support
• Handbook, Induction, Chair Training, Secretary to
  Councils, Networking Opportunities for PG/PT,
  Briefings, Report writing
• Develop marketing/promotional material (students,
  student reps)
• Input on key University Committees and Working
  Groups
• Support staff in the recruitment of student
  representatives
• E-communication (emails/website)
• Develop and maintain knowledge of factors
  impacting on the educational experience of
  students within each faculty
• Maintain a database of student representatives
• Brief student members on the previous years
  issues and achievements
• Brief members of Faculty Board, Academic Board
  etc.

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Student Rep Support Team (3)
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Faculty Student Councils/ Student Representative
Councils (1)

• Student Representative Council (SRC)
• Chaired by elected SRC President
• Membership of 40 elected representatives from 10
  faculties SRC Presidents
• Meets 5 times a year for approx 2hrs
• Chart

• Faculty Student Council (FSC)
• All duly recognised course reps are members
• Elections held for chair, SRC, Faculty Boards and
  other Faculty-wide committees
• Ten FSCs meet five times a year for 1-2 hours

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Faculty Student Councils (1)
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Faculty Student Councils (2)

• Promotes a collective identity
• Provides a forum for members to revise, update
  and enhance what is known as a group
• Creates a pool of shared knowledge and
  experience
• Provides a mechanism through which Faculty-wide
  representatives can become more representative of
  the Faculty
• Exposes Faculties/Schools who do not the have the
  structural or cultural commitment to student
  representation

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Faculty Student Councils (3)
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Faculty Student Councils (4)

• Meetings take place in addition to the
  Staff/Student meetings - they are not a
  replacement
• Evidence suggests that the meetings have not had
  a negative impact on attendance at Staff/Student
  meetings

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Faculty Student Councils (5)

• Example Agenda Items from 06/07
• Coursework Return
• Faculty Reception
• NSS Results on Assessment Feedback
• Usage of Blackboard/UWEOnline
• Reps are encouraged to bring issues that would be
  of relevance to all students in the faculty.
  Course and module related issues should be raised
  at Staff/Student Committees
• Key staff are also invited to talk on specific
  issues

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Faculty Student Councils (6)
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Getting the contact details (1)

• We operate training within the SU but there is
  very low uptake because we cant coordinate
  around the reps. We dont have contact details,
  and our influence is minimal.

HEFCW, Student Representation Structures in HEIs
across Wales, York Consulting Limited, 2007
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Getting the contact details (2)

• 04/05
• many faculties had still not supplied contact
  details of student reps by January.
• 05/06
• The new constitution took affect from 1st
  August
• 06/07
• 750 contact names and email address were
  available by the end of the first four weeks of
  teaching

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Getting the contact details (3) The New
Constitution
Academic Board
Student Representative Council
Faculty Board
Faculty Student Councils
Student Reps
Students
Back
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Getting the contact details (4) The New
Constitution

• Student Representative Council (extract of
  functions)
• to elect the student members of the Board of
  Governors and its sub-committees in addition to
  those students who are members ex officio
• to elect the student members of the Academic
  Board and its sub committees in addition to those
  students who are members ex officio

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Getting the contact details (5) The New
Constitution
SRC
The 1st SRC must meet within six weeks of
teaching
Wk 6
The agenda and papers must be circulated 5
working days in advance of the meeting
Wk 5
FSC
Members of SRC are elected by their Faculty
Student Council (3 elected chair)
The agenda and papers must be circulated 5
working days in advance of the meeting
Wk 4
Student Reps _at_ course level
All duly recognised reps are members of their
Faculty Student Council
Time Line
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Getting the contact details (6)

• In some faculties it was important to develop the
  range of Faculty staff we were in contact with

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Getting the contact details (7)

• UWESU Year Tutors
• Can express urgency
• Address concerns
• UWESU Faculty Admin
• We provide a service up to date contact lists
• UWESU Programme Directors
• Inform on status

UWESU
Year Tutors
Faculty Admin
Programme Directors
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Attendance Allowance (1)

• Attendance Allowance
• Student Reps receive payment of 5.77 ph for time
  spent in duly-recognised meetings
• This process required faculties to articulate and
  formally agree their Student Rep structures
• For the first time the Students Union had a
  clear understanding of all the meetings that
  student reps were attending
• Enabled accurate and relevant training
• Enabled student rep support team to identify and
  share good practice across ten faculties
• Enabled rep support team to help fill places on
  faculty-wide committees
• Enabled annual monitoring of attendance in each
  faculty

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Attendance Allowance (2)
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Attendance Allowance (3)

• An average 70 of student reps working hours were
  paid (05/06). The 30 unpaid was because the
  student rep had either
• Elected not to receive the allowance
• Not supplied the relevant paperwork

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Attendance Allowance (4) why did you become a
rep?
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The view of the University? (1)

• We surveyed key academic staff in early 05/06 and
  found that 2/3 felt that
• Rep attendance at meetings has improved
• Rep contributions at meetings have become more
  frequent
• Communication between reps has improved
• Reps are more aware of faculty/university
  developments

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The view of the University? (2)

• Key academic staff were divided when it came to
• Communication between reps and students has
  improved
• Student interest in becoming a rep has increased

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A model of Best Practice for UWE (1)

• A 2005 QAA report on student representation and
  feedback arrangements stresses that when an
  institution is going through a review it is
  important to consider the impact of such changes
  on student representation arrangements and to
  ensure that the latter and the institutions
  arrangements are in alignment
• S.W.O.T. analysis of each faculties support,
  recruitment and meetings (2 years)
• Key stakeholder surveys
• Attendance statistics
• Interviews/Focus Groups

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A model of Best Practice for UWE (2)

• 16 page report on Student Representation at UWE
• A model through which staff/student meetings can
  be grouped Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3
• Good practice for meeting structures and
  frequency
• Identification of the varying levels that
  students act as representatives Type 0, Type 1,
  Type 2
• The feedback cycle how representative do
  student reps feel?
• Election vs. Recruitment debate
• Do reps feel that they contribute to making
  positive changes for the student body?
• Student rep retention
• Faculty understanding of the role of a rep

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A model of Best Practice for UWE (3)

• Anticipated outcomes
• Frequent informal meetings
• Robust administration processes
• Coherent and consistent recruitment and support
• Measurable by
• Key stakeholder surveys
• Attendance Recording
• Interviews and Focus Groups

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Other Things(1)

• Over 150 student reps attending Rep Awards
• http//www.uwesu.net/repawards/index.html
• http//www.uwesu.org/photoalbums/thumbnails.php?al
  bum429page4

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Other Things(2)

• AMSU Student Rep Coordinators Group
• New group of volunteers who are hoping to benefit
  from sharing resources, ideas and experience.
• Began Aug 06
• Plans to arrange conferences, develop materials
  etc.
• Go to http//www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/AMSU-STUDENT
  -REPS.html to join list

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Contact Details

• University of the West of England Students Union
• David.Owen_at_uwe.ac.uk
• 0117 32 82580
• Questions?

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Classifying Rep Meetings (1)