Why do we have Course Representatives (Reps)?
The University is committed to ensuring that students are provided with the opportunity to contribute to the shaping of your learning experience individually, collectively and through your representational body, your Students' Union.
The role of a Course Rep is vital to assure a high-quality student experience and to support student retention and success. Below is a summary of the role and how you can get involved, or the full Course Rep Handbook for Students 2020/21 can be downloaded here.
What do you do as a Course Rep?
As a student representative:
Act as a voice for the students on your programme of study (or in your School, or in your Faculty - see below on "different course rep positions").
Provide feedback to the University and the Union on key issues which affect the student experience.
Work proactively to develop and enhance the wider University experience.
Communicate regularly with the students you represent.
Different Course Rep positions
The purpose of all course representatives is to act as a voice for students, providing feedback to the University and Students’ Union on the academic experience and to work proactively to develop and enhance the wider student experience. ‘Course Rep’ is a catch-all term for student volunteers elected by their peers to do this, and they are essential and central to ensuring a high quality, enjoyable student experience. The three Course Rep roles are:
Faculty Reps - Representatives for their Faculty, sitting on University boards and committees.
| Faculty Rep (Arts, Humanities & Education) |
Laurie Clothier |
| Faculty Rep (Medicine, Health & Social Care) |
Carol Namata |
| Faculty Rep (Science, Engineering & Social Sciences) |
Lewis Warner |
School Reps - Representatives for their School, sitting on Faculty boards and committees.
| School of Allied & Public Health Professions Rep |
Emily Rigden |
| Christ Church Business School Rep |
Jennifer Jozsa |
| School of Creative Arts & Industries Rep |
Laurie Clothier |
| School of Engineering, Technology & Design Rep |
Oliver King |
| School of Humanities & Educational Studies Rep |
Megan Foxen-Freeman, Zane Kennedy and Daniel Vince |
| Centre for Languages & Linguistics Rep |
Daniel Vince |
| School of Law, Policing & Social Sciences Rep |
Chloe West |
| School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work Rep |
Katie Lancefield and Benita Agu |
| School of Psychology & Life Sciences Rep |
Erin Hilts |
| School of Teacher Education Rep |
Zara Hinkley |
Programme Reps - Representatives for their programme only, attending SSL meetings. Some may also attend School Boards or other School level committees.
Election of Reps
CCSU ran online course rep elections for the first time in November 2020. Some reps will have been elected in this way, others will have been elected in-class. If you're interested, talk to your Programme Director.
Training
Training is delivered by the Students' Union. Due to the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic, basic training will take the form of a video which you can watch in your own time, to gain a good overview of the role and responsibilities of being a rep, as well as the skills you will develop. You should also read the Course Rep Handbook. In addition, we will be running virtual drop-in sessions throughout November and December on a range of issues of interest to reps - if you have ideas for a discussion topic, let us know at coursereps@ccsu.co.uk.
Policy
The full University policy regarding student representation can be found here.
Meetings
A key part of your role as a course rep is to attend meetings, usually with other reps and with University staff. For programme reps, this is likely to be referred to as a Staff Student Liaison Meeting (SSLM). School, Faculty and University boards and committees will have different names and purposes, but you should be given an induction to the meeting before you attend your first one.
You will be informed of the agenda and provided with all relevant papers for each meeting you are meant to attend. This should be done at least one week before the meeting and with sufficient time to allow consultation with the student body where required.
The Chair of that meeting is responsible for ensuring that you are given the opportunity for a briefing before a meeting. The meeting dates and times should be published at the beginning of the academic year, and the first meeting should not take place before you have been given training.
If you are required to travel to another campus, your expenses should be paid.
You will be enabled to contribute to the agenda. The Chair of the committee is responsible for ensuring that appropriate policies and procedures are made available to you, including relevant details of the University and School/Centre structures, details of roles, policies and procedures relating to the business of the committee.
For staff
If you are a programme director or other member of staff supporting course reps, you can view our Course Rep Guide for Staff 2020/21 here. If you have further queries, please contact coursereps@ccsu.co.uk.