Course RepsAnnual Report

2010-11

Who are Course Reps?-------------------------------------------------------------------------Course Reps are students who volunteer to represent their course-mates. They are offered training and support by the Students’ Union. Course Reps talk to their peers, find out what can be improved, and bring these issues to staff. University staff follow up on this feedback and aim to make things better.

With at least one Course Rep for each year group of each course, there are over 800 Course Reps across UAL. Course Reps and the staff who work with them are a key asset in improving the student experience, fostering communities, and empowering students across the University.

About this reportThe Course Rep scheme is coordinated by the Students’ Union and supported by staff working across UAL. It relies, for the most part, on the good will of students and staff who want to make their academic experience and University community better.

This Annual Report is written by the Students’ Union. It aims to recognise some of the hard work put in by staff and Reps across the University, and to raise awareness of how the scheme works.

Editor, and all photographs: Josh Jones, Academic Representation Coordinator.Contributor: Natalie Jones, Academic Representation Supervisor.

‘I dropped out of my last Uni because the course was really badly organised, so when I came to UAL I wanted to be a lot more engaged. That’s why I ran to be a Course Rep. It was a bit scary running for the post, as I had to get my classmates to vote for me, but I’m glad I did. After the election, I linked up with another Course Rep through Facebook and we went to the Students’ Union training together.

In my first term, our Dean (Andrew Hughes) offered us some funding to help build the community in our School. The Course Reps across Fashion Management banded together to organise a big social event for all three years of students. Because it was organised completely by Course Reps, and supported by the School, people had a real sense of ownership over the event and it went brilliantly.

Having made an effort to make myself known, I often have students come to me to ask for help, many of whom might not have gone to a member of staff. They feel comfortable talking to me because I’m a student too. After the Students’ Union training, I know where people need to go to get different kinds of help. It feels great to be in a position where I can make things better, for the whole year group and also for individuals who need help.’

Billie Pearson, Course Rep for BA Fashion Management and LCF Vice-President 2011-12. Pictured above.

coursereps@su.arts.ac.ukwww.suarts.org/coursereps

College Update Sometimes it is the simplest of things that can enhance the student experience. Course Reps voiced their frustration at not having drinking water available. As a result of this and further lobbying from the Students’ Union, staff have now fitted permanent free drinking water facilities in the Tower Block and canteen. Other important changes to the estate, such as a no-smoking zone at the front entrance and improvements to the canteen seating, are in response to student feedback. Course Reps also asked for more recycling bins and a stricter enforcement of the ‘No ID, No Entry’ policy, both of which the College was quick to support.

Through their Course Reps, students from colleges across UAL have questioned the cost of food in college canteens. They are especially unhappy with the charges for cutlery and hot water. In response, staff across UAL continue to lobby the franchise; but LCC was the only college that agreed a trial introduction of free microwave ovens in the canteen. This enables students to bring in their own food, which saves students money and also helps those who work late. At the time of printing, the trial is going very well. We

look forward to using this as an example of good practice and use it to lobby other Colleges for the same service.

Postgraduate students raised the issue of qualification classification. They believed the gap between a Pass and a Distinction was too great. Staff took this issue forward and have now introduced a merit classification for future post-graduate courses. Although the students that raised this issue now will not directly benefit, they wanted to improve the situation for future students and have succeeded.

In response to lobbying from Course Reps at Student & Dean forums, the College is working on reintroducing visiting industry speakers that were removed from some courses. It’s also encouraging cross course collaboration facilitated, in part, by a new mobile phone app; and better communications for students and staff, which will be aided by the appointment of a new Head of Communications.

‘Many of the students I represent wanted to use the photography darkrooms, but they didn’t get the inductions required to gain access. Myself and the other Rep for my group took this up with Graham Goldwater [the senior technician] and our tutors. Graham and the rest of the staff team were brilliant – they set up inductions for our group. Now we can all get access to the darkroom equipment if we need it. This is a real improvement to our course.

I don’t want to suggest I’m the only one doing this kind of stuff – I know that other Course Reps and their staff teams have been doing loads too!’

Ben Rider, Course Rep for FdA Design for Graphic Communication, LCC. [Not pictured]

Course Reps at the LCC College Forum

London College of Communication-------------------------------------------------------------------------

London College of Fashion-------------------------------------------------------------------------College Update With LCF being spread over 6 sites across London, the areas of most concern to Course Reps focus around timetabling, accommodation and access to facilities. The College has moved from 2 to 3 timetabling officers and takes into account Course Rep feedback from Student & Dean forums when making decisions. Where simple improvements can be made, the Deans have been responsive to student feedback. For instance, the School of Media and Communication has extended the opening hours of several studios in response to feedback from Course Reps.

The College has also responded to feedback from Reps saying they’d like more of a sense of community among students, and places to study and socialise between lectures and workshops. A review is being undertaken which will look into getting social spaces at each site, in time for the next academic year. Also, the Graduate School are running some new cross-course collaboration opportunities that will take place from Summer 2011 onwards.

Course Reps representing Footwear and Accessories brought forward an idea relating to their final degree show. The School chooses a select number of students to show at the official degree show, but Course Reps felt that all students should have a chance to exhibit. Following Reps’ lobbying, their School has agreed to provide space for an internal exhibition that will enable all students to exhibit their work. It is run by students and for students, with a working committee formed of Course Reps and other students who have volunteered to help out. The concept had such a positive reception from students that the exhibition has been expanded to include Fashion Jewellery and Product courses as well.

Following Rep input, the college opened twice over the Christmas period, to allow Disability passport holders on Fashion Design Technology to make use of their deadline extension. This was a facility greatly appreciated by the students who used it. Meanwhile, after raising their concerns regarding access to IT, students are meeting with the Director of Information Services to discuss IT opening times, computer availability, and the availability of Wi-Fi.‘We’ve been working hard to set

up a new final year exhibition for all students. Staff have been good in helping us to get the space, and creating a guest list of alumni. The response from students has been outstanding – we had over 80 come to our first planning meeting. Since we started, we’ve already had meetings with major museum curators and learnt a lot about running a project. Getting experience like this is a real bonus. All the same, what matters most to us is making the exhibition itself a success.’

Sam Shepherd, Course Rep for BA Footwear, LCF. Pictured right, and on the front cover, with fellow Course Rep Ginny Williams.

have been particularly affected by heating issues. Some feared that the upkeep of the old buildings would become secondary during the move to Kings Cross. However, staff have tried to combat site issues as best they can, for instance by introducing heaters in the winter or moving teaching away from particularly cold areas.

The Byam Shaw library (at Archway) faced closure earlier this year, as its funding was cut in the autumn period. Students and staff agreed to run the library with a volunteer system. The take-up was very good, with more student volunteers than there were shifts. The library is now a very unique learning environment, and students feel a real sense of ownership over the space.

Central Saint Martin’s-------------------------------------------------------------------------College Update The Deans, the Head of College, and the planning team have been holding sessions to keep students up to date with progress and the decisions being made in relation to the move to Kings Cross. At the time of printing, the move is on-track, but staff are very aware that it will not be easy. Close communication with Reps has helped staff be aware of student needs and concerns, and it’s also meant that Reps can communicate information to their students so they know what to expect.

Many of the issues raised by students this year and previously are ones that contributed to the decision to move. Several of the buildings occupied by CSM are not fit for use and students

‘The course I represent is pretty new, so there’s been a lot of issues to iron out but also lots of room for creativity. The staff team have been really serious about Rep engagement, and we’ve accomplished a lot together. It feels great to get stuck in and be treated as equals with the academic staff.’

Tom Coxon, Course Rep for BA Architecture: Spaces and Objects, and Vice-President for CSM 2011-12. Pictured left.

Chelsea, Camberwell and Wimbledon-------------------------------------------------------------------------College UpdateCourse Reps across CCW raised the issue that students felt the ‘corporate look’ of the previous year’s degree show invites did not reflect the University’s creative talents and diversity. Course Reps pushed to be involved in this year’s design process, and as a result they have been working closely with staff and external providers to design this summer’s invites in a way that meets student expectations. Following this collaborative work, student feedback on the invites has been very positive.

Students across UAL highly value their time with technicians and in the studio, and many have asked for extra opening hours. Camberwell Course Reps felt there was a real need for wider access to facilities in the evenings, and proposed this through their Student & Dean forum. The Dean took these concerns forward, and as a result Photography and Print workshops now have extended evening opening hours.

The Chelsea site has undergone major IT improvement this year. Most notably for students the Wi-Fi in D Block is now much stronger, allowing students to use their own laptops. Likewise, Reps at Wimbledon helped secure funding for a Wi-Fi boost on site by raising it at their Student & Dean forum.

Meanwhile, a Foundation Course Rep at Wimbledon raised the issue of access to their Palmerston Road site on Fridays. The Dean followed this up and Foundation students can now access the site for an extra day every week. This shows that you don’t have to be an experienced rep to make a real change.

Following requests from Reps at their Student & Dean forum, the Dean of Wimbledon also opened the college for a ‘wetting-up’ day over the Christmas period. This allowed Technical Arts and Special Effects students to access their work and ensure it could be maintained ready for the start of term.

Students at the Print Workshop in Camberwell,

where opening hours have been improved after

Course Reps met with the Dean

‘As Course Reps we have termly meetings with our course leader. This is a really good forum for giving direct feedback, and hence making constructive changes on the course. She really does listen and act on what we say. Meanwhile, I think our Dean, Natalie Brett, takes the Student & Dean forums seriously. For example, we now have improved access to workshops because she took action on our comments.’

Mary Vettise, Course Rep for BA Drawing, Camberwell [Not pictured]

Being a Course Rep - Meredith Smith-------------------------------------------------------------------------Course Rep, MA Innovation management, Central Saint Martin’s

“I became a Rep because I wanted to be more involved in Central Saint Martins, push my course further, and meet new people at the University. Since relocating to the UK and to London, being a Course Rep has been a great way to meet other post-grad students and get more involved in my course.

Course Rep training has been very beneficial, and has also been quite fun. The trainers help you understand your role, help you learn how to navigate the University and show you how to affect change within your course. After going through Rep training, I feel confident that I can make my course concerns heard.

As a Course Rep, I attend meetings each term with my Course Director, the Dean, and Reps from other programs. Some meetings are more

informal and student-led; during Student & Dean Forums, Reps from many courses get together to voice their concerns and talk about upcoming events and initiatives. Other meetings are more formal; during Course Committees and Boards of Studies, Reps and School staff come together to deal with academic concerns. These meetings give me the chance to truly know the inner workings of the College, which has been a great experience. When my course mates have questions about what’s going on, I can pass on my knowledge from these meetings.

Since become a Course Rep I have managed to get more Language Support for International students in my course, have worked to make assessment more reflective, and have gotten my course to start a new speaker series that brings industry luminaries to the School. Being a Course Rep has given me the chance to turn course feedback and ideas into real change.”

Meredith Smith [right] and fellow Course Rep María Eugenia

Pérez Lizarazo, both from MA Innovation Management at CSM

Supporting Course Reps - Ben Whyman-------------------------------------------------------------------------Academic Administrator, London College of Fashion School of Media and Communication

“I think Reps are a vital link between the College and the voice of students. We couldn’t possibly go out and physically meet every student to find out what they think, but through Course Reps we can feel the pulse of the student body and gauge if we’re on the right track for meeting student needs.

As an administrator, I am responsible for sending out invitations to all the Committees and Boards of Studies that Reps are asked to attend. Our committees and Boards of Studies all have Course Rep updates right near the top of the agenda - after all, we are all here [in the University] for students. At the start of the year, I also speak to the senior staff in the School and encourage them to make sure that their Course Reps are elected and registered.

I feel lucky to have some really engaged Course Reps in our School every year. While some will slip off the radar as the year progresses, a number always remain very proactive in bringing forward ideas and taking positive action. Their contributions to committees have often been invaluable in helping us to improve the experience of students on each course.

As a result of suggestions from Course Reps, we have started a new cross-course networking event for the School. It’s called ‘Work it out Wednesdays’, and the first one was a huge success. We invited students across the School to come and meet each other, share their portfolios, and find people to collaborate with. We started the event with a facilitate ‘speed-networking’ session that broke the ice. By the end of the event we couldn’t get the students to leave! Myself and another administrator organised the logistics, while the Dean and faculty initiated the idea and ran the event. We’ll be running it every term from now on.”

Ben Whyman, Academic Administrator, London College of Fashion School of Media and Communication

Working with Reps to Create Change - George Blacklock-------------------------------------------------------------------------Dean, Wimbledon College of Art

“I always say to students that they’re here to have their assumptions about art and design challenged, but also that we as staff need our assumptions challenged, and we can do this together. Course Reps are a voice that can cut against our preconceptions, and by keeping close relations with Course Reps we are able to make our College proactive rather than reactive. We don’t need to wait for NSS results to find out what worked and what didn’t; we try to get it straight from the Reps. It’s only in this way that our students can be active in our decision-making processes and help us to make things better.

As an example, at our last Building Users’ Group, we had two Course Reps come along - and their contributions made it the most productive Users’ Group we’ve had yet! For instance, we’ve had an ongoing issue with students smoking in inappropriate areas outside the college. Staff efforts to curb the problem had made little progress on what was becoming an increasingly difficult issue. So we discussed the issue with the Course Reps at the meeting, explaining our dilemma in full.

The Reps decided to take up the issue. They talked to students in their own terms. The results were remarkable; in just a week, a problem that

had lasted months had all but disappeared. By giving Course Reps the right information and the right level of responsibility, we help them to become active participants in the College community - and in turn, they help others to do the same.

As a Dean, I try to ensure that my guiding principles with students are transparency and honesty. Before every Student & Dean forum, I provide the Students’ Union with updates on all the issues raised at the last forum. The Union post these online and distribute them at the meeting. At the Forums, I tell people exactly what I know - not what I want them to know, or what I think they want to hear. This doesn’t always mean they get the answer they wanted, but I think it’s better to be honest than tactical. Meanwhile, Course Rep issues are top of the agenda in our termly Board of Studies meetings, and I try to encourage Reps to take a more active role in other meetings too.

It’s not always easy for Reps to feel confident speaking up in academic meetings, and we need to keep working at it - ‘we’ being the staff team. I think it is essential that Course Reps become more involved in shaping the future of the College. If we are going to flourish, we have to allow more ground-up initiatives. After all, we are all here to learn - and that includes staff!”

George Blacklock, Dean of Wimbledon College of Art, in the Costume

Design studios

Getting Reps in place------------------------------------------------------------------------Why people become a Rep and how

Course Reps are elected from among their peers to represent the interests of their group. The staff working on the Course - usually the Course Director, or similar - are responsible for promoting the position and supporting students who are interested. Ideally, more than one student is interested in the post. In this case, the staff involved will help run an election, either by email or by secret ballot.

It doesn’t always happen that a position is contested, and in such cases a Rep is normally appointed or nominated by default. We’d like to move towards posts becoming contested across the board, with elections becoming the norm. This will come about gradually as more and more students are aware of the benefits of being a Course Rep. It’ll also depend on Colleges to make an extra effort to engage the student voice and take it seriously. However, there will also be additional challenges as course fees go up in the next few years, as students are likely to have less time for extra-curricular activities. In response to this, the SU is looking into ways to further recognise and reward Reps for the work they do. This might include getting Course Rep work formally recognised on transcripts upon graduation.

RegistrationShortly after becoming a Rep, students are asked to register. This enables the SU and the University to know they are a Rep and send them the appropriate support - such as invitations to training, forums, and special events.

For the first time, in 2010-11 all Course Reps were registered online. This generally made the process easier for staff, as it involved a lot less data entry and paper handling. Also, the data was automatically added to an online database that is accessible to all. This made it easy to see when and where a Rep had been registered.

Following feedback from University staff, next year we want to make the database more user-friendly. We’re looking into making the registration process clearer and more accurate, allowing registrants to choose their course from a drop-down menu. We’re also planning on making the navigation of the database more intuitive, with the ability to search by course, year-group or level of study.

Compared to last year, we’ve seen a slight reduction in the number of Reps registered - down by 35. This might be due to the overall number of courses being reduced, or it could be because the new online registration process isn’t yet used across the board. In the summer of 2011, the Students’ Union is meeting with Admin staff in each College to ask them their thoughts on processes like this and to agree on how to do things in the future.

Promoting the Scheme

Deborah Olakigbe, Meredith Smith, and Nathan Gotlib, all School and Faculty Reps

869Number of Course Reps registered this year

Currently, students find out about the Course Rep scheme through one main channel - the staff on the Course. This is an essential step as it’s those members of staff the future Reps will be working with. The SU sends out welcome letters and emails to all Course Directors at the start of each academic year, with reminders and updates on the scheme and the registration and election process.

The SU also introduces new students to the Course Rep scheme through their Induction talks. However, we’re looking to do more, as we think it’s important that students have a parity of knowledge about the scheme. We’re looking into including flyers about Course Reps in the Freshers’ Packs that students receive before they arrive. We’re also making a video that will launch in Summer 2011, which will describe the work of a Course Rep in a simple and informal manner.

School and Faculty RepsAt the first Student & Dean forum of the year, Reps nominate one or more of their peers to represent their views at the Board of Studies. This is the main academic decision-making body for the School or Faculty.

This year we accepted all volunteers, rather than running formal elections. This gave us a bigger base of Reps to work from, which can help with getting people to come to Boards of Studies - which are often near the end of term, a busy time for most students. However, there are still ways in

which we can give School and Faculty Reps more support in their role. The Union will be more active in helping these Reps meet up with their College Vice-Presidents, and will also look into creating more networking and social opportunities for Reps in each College.

Meanwhile, it is hoped that more Schools and Faculties will take a student-focused approach to running their Boards of Studies, for instance by always putting student feedback at the top of the agenda and by adjusting the tone of the meeting to accommodate those who are less experienced in a formal academic environment.

Equality and DiversityWe have made a comparison of anonymised data from registered Course Reps compared to the UAL average. The results are interesting: we found Reps to be broadly representative of their University in all the groups for which we have data. This includes Part-time students and Mature students, as well as ethnicity, disability and gender. This is great news, and suggests the work that the SU and staff are doing to make the scheme accessible is paying off. We’ll monitor this closely in the future and look at ways to further improve accessiblity, such as captioned video training and dyslexia-friendly materials.

New Course Reps at training, in LCC

‘I feel like I’ve actually changed a lot of things for the better as a Course Rep, which feels great. Improvements have been made in the school, and things were fixed quicker. The library was revived and is a wonderful little reading zone now. Opening hours are now being discussed. Security is taken more seriously. I really feel like I can influence things.’

Sarah Lüdemann, Course Rep for MA Fine Art, CSM [Not pictured]

Enabling Course Reps------------------------------------------------------------------------On-site Course Rep Training

Staff at the Students’ Union run training sessions open to Course Reps across UAL. Training offers key skills and information that makes being a Course Rep easier and more productive. These 90-minute sessions are free to attend, and Course Reps are asked to come to only one.

Each session of Course Rep Training covers the following topics:

• What it means to be a representative.• How the NSS works and how to make it work

for you.• The structure of the SU and how Course Reps

feed into campaigns.• Which issues should be brought to which

meetings and services.• Equality and Diversity issues at UAL .• The SU’s main campaigns and the financial

challenges facing the University.Course Reps who attend training rate it highly. In 2010-11, Reps gave the sessions 8.7 out of 10 overall, and 9.4 out of 10 for the trainer’s communication skills. (From 256 responses.)

The SU is constantly working with University staff to improve training attendance rates. The most effective way for Reps to feel like training is worthwhile is for College staff to ask them to go, such as tutors or lecturers. In addition, the SU sends out email and text message invites to all registered Reps who have not been to training.

Online trainingFor the first time, the Students’ Union is using the University’s Virtual Learning Environment to run online training for Course Reps. These extra, optional modules are designed to supplement the training offered at on-site training. They also offer support for part-time or distance students who might not be able to attend an on-site session.The modules, which are running on Blackboard as of Spring 2011, include:

• Attending Meetings - Tips on what to do before, during and after a committee meeting.

• Referring Issues - A guide to the services available to students, and where to refer students with personal problems.

• Equality and Diversity - A detailed exploration of E&D issues at UAL, with some example case studies.

Additional trainingThis year, the SU piloted Advanced Training open to all Course Reps. The session gave detailed advice and hands-on experience to improve Reps’ confidence in public speaking. As well as making them more effective in their role, the session gave skills which will be useful in giving presentations at Uni or to potential employers.

We also ran two training sessions just for School and Faculty Reps. These are Course Reps who have been nominated by their peers to sit on Boards of Studies and represent the interests of students across a School or Faculty. Accordingly, we made the training more specialised, with a focus on communicating with other Reps and understanding the University academic structure. We finished the session with a role-playing exercise gave the Reps a chance to hone their critical and persuasive skills by playing out a mock Board of Studies.

14 Number of UAL sites where we ran training this year

323Number of Course Reps trained this year

Meeting ExpensesThe Students’ Union supports Course Reps in attending their training and their University committees by providing travel expenses vouchers. To claim a voucher, which can be exchanged for cash at SU bars, Reps fill in a Meeting Report online at suarts.org/iamarep.

In the future, we’re considering linking training attendance to an individual student’s ability to collect expenses for their meetings. This would mean that Course Reps can only receive money to cover their expenses once they have been to training.

NewslettersTo keep Reps informed of developments in their College, and to help raise awareness of the great thing that Reps have achieved, the SU sends out termly newsletters to all Course Reps. As well as highlighting the key points of progress that Course Reps have accomplished that term, the newsletters also provide helpful updates on campaigns, training, and resources available to them.

‘The training was useful and clear. I’m more aware of what is expected of me and what I am capable of achieving.’

Course Rep, LCF (Anonymous, via feedback form)

£4,702From Autumn 2010 to Spring 2011, we gave out 564 vouchers worth

to cover Reps’ travel

expenses for meetings and

Student & Dean forums.

Blacklock of Wimbledon has given the highest praise for the Reps who came to the Buildings Users’ Group, again a first. The contributions of Reps are clearly valued at these meetings, and in order to encourage further engagement we will need to provide additional support to Reps. This could involve outlining the purpose of these committees as part of training and induction, and allowing Reps to feed into decision-making even if they cannot come in for a specific meeting.

Student and Dean ForumsEvery term, the Dean of each School holds an open meeting with Course Reps in order to discuss issues reaching beyond specific courses. These have proven an effective way of discussing matters such as learning materials, building upkeep, cross-course collaboration, guest lectures, IT issues, and a lot more besides. In fact, most of the changes highlighted in the preceding College Updates have been raised through Student & Dean forums.

The Students’ Union facilitates these forums because we consider them an important resource to Course Reps and a positive force for improving the student experience. The Union helps to arrange the time and place, in co-operation with School staff. The Union also provides a facilitator - usually a Sabbatical Officer - to try and ensure the meeting is a fair

Representing Students------------------------------------------------------------------------Course Reps working with Course TeamsCourse Reps take the issues of their course-mates and bring them to a variety of forums to help create change. The most common way Course Reps bring forward issues is by raising them directly with staff in one-to-one meetings or by email. These personal conversations happen all the time, and mostly go unnoticed by the Students’ Union and senior university staff. However, we know they have a powerful effect on students’ experiences. In our 2011 Course Rep Survey, respondents said this was the most reliably useful way of dealing with issues.

Reps also attend Course Committees (or Programme / Cluster Committees, depending on School), which are an opportunity to meet with the entire Course Team. These run every term, usually in weeks 5 or 6 of the Undergraduate calendar. While the more formal atmosphere of Course Committees can sometimes be a challenge for new Reps, they still prove popular overall. When asked how satisfied they were with how their concerns were handled at Course Committees, Course Reps gave an average rating of 4/5.

As UAL moves towards a Programme structure, we will all have to review the way in which Course Reps feed into the new, larger Programme meetings. Options include: inviting all Course Reps; inviting only a sample; or hosting a Programme Forum with all Reps and just a couple of key members of staff. The SU will be working closely with UAL and staff in each college to find a solution that encourages engagement and compliments the academic calendar.

Other CommitteesReps are also often invited to other committees, such as Student Life Committees. Take-up is patchy across the University, mostly because many Reps don’t feel they can afford the extra time commitments, or they don’t feel empowered to engage at this level. However, we have seen a gradual increase in engagement this year. Sue Thompson, Dean of LCF Design & Technology, commented that Reps sat on the Student Life Subcommittee for the first time, and their participation was valuable. Likewise, George

The SU facilitates Student & Dean forums every term

14

14On average, 14 Course Reps attend each forum

and student-led environment where Reps feel they can speak up. We also send out email invitations and text message reminders in advance of the meetings, and give out expenses vouchers to those who attend on the day.

Respondents who filled in our Course Rep Survey (2011) felt that the Student & Dean forums could use a little more structure, and that it would also be good to spend more time networking with other Reps. For 2011-12, we’ll look into running a student-led section at the start of each Forum where the Dean is not present, so that Reps can discover the most common issues across the courses and set the meeting agenda together.

Issues TrackingAll the key items raised at Student & Dean forums are recorded on an Issues Tracking sheet, which is brought to the following meeting in order to ensure that key issues are followed up. This makes the process more transparent for Reps, and it also means that we have a written record of what each forum has achieved over time. We use this information to inform our termly newsletters to Reps and staff, as well as publications such as this.

Following feedback from Admin staff, we’ve made the Issues Tracking system simpler in 2010-11, with one simple sheet and no formal minutes.

We’ve also kept all the Issues Tracking sheets online at the suarts.org/iamarep website, meaning that anyone can easily check up on new updates.

We are hugely grateful to the individual members of staff across UAL who have agreed to take on the task of recording and typing up the Issues Tracking notes. Our experience has shown that staff based in Schools have a much better knowledge of local issues, and thanks to their hard work we have been able to record issues much more accurately and ensure that updates to Course Reps are clear and helpful.

College ForumsAs a further way of enabling Reps and staff to communicate, the Heads of Colleges also hold an open meeting once a year. These College Forums take place in the Spring term, and are used to discuss the bigger issues affecting the College and UAL - from funding cuts, to green initiatives, to the national future of University education. The quality of debate at these forums has been very high. However, attendance is low when put in comparison to the number of Course Reps in each college. An average of 22 Reps attended each College Forum, from a pool of around 200 Reps in each College. For the future, we will have to consider ways in which we can make College-level discussion more relevant for Reps in order to improve engagement.

Course Reps at a Student & Dean forum in LCC

‘I find people can convey their experiences and problems on to me. I can then make little differences by bringing up the matters at hand in meetings. It is an amazing role to play as in the meeting situation you are treated as an equal my all. I can make a difference by being the voice of my class.’

Camilla Monck, Course Rep for BA Cordwainers Footwear, LCF [Not pictured]

To the future------------------------------------------------------------------------Final thoughtsFor the academic year 2011-12 we’ll have a lot of new challenges to face up to. Course Reps and the staff who support them will be working through difficult financial situations in many colleges, and it’s still not clear how much change the government funding cuts are going to force. During this period, it will be more important than ever that staff work to engage Course Reps and give them honest, clear information, as well as taking on board student feedback and doing what’s possible to meet expectations. Reps have proven their ability to be an effective and personal way for the student body and staff to interact.

At the Students’ Union, we’ll be making continued improvements to the way we support the scheme. We’re using feedback to redesign our Handbooks and training, and we’ll continue to work on improving our website. We’ll work on making Course Rep registration and the Course Rep database more intuitive and easy to use. We will also put extra time into helping Course Reps to meet each other, communicate online, and socialise.

In cooperation with University staff, we’ll review the way that Course Reps influence the academic environment - whether that’s through their Course, Programme, School or College. As UAL reviews its staff and support structure, it presents us with a challenge to make sure students can feed into the new systems and create change. But it also presents us with a unique opportunity to take a look at the way we do things, and see what could work better. In Summer 2011, the SU will meet formally and informally with staff across the Colleges to discuss change in their areas, and how academic representation can be best supported.

Most importantly, 2011-12 will be a year when we welcome hundreds of new and returning Course Reps. Although much of their work happens at a very local level and doesn’t necessarily get picked up in big reports like this, they will be responsible for improving the experience of thousands of students across UAL.

‘I couldn’t have imagined I would be able to make changes to students and the School in this way. My classmates let me know how they feel about the course, and I pass any problems to the staff. They do what they can to make improvements.

For example, last term the students in my class feel our course structure could use some practice like a collaborative project to open our minds and make the course more interesting. After I raised this issue in the course committee, my Course Director has added a collaborative project in this term which is a one week project with UCL students. It was very successful and helpful to all of us.

Sometimes, if students feel something is great then I can tell the university staff so that they can do more. For example, my classmates find the English support in the Library each Monday very useful. I just took this information to the course committee where the staff from the library said she will do more in the next term. It is great thing that all of us are making our campus better. Thanks for giving me a chance to make a difference.’

Han Yan, Course Rep for MA Interior and Spatial Design, Chelsea

coursereps@su.arts.ac.ukwww.suarts.org/coursereps