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Course Rep Training

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sparqs

• student partnerships in quality scotland.

• Aims to ensure that students can make a positive difference to learning and teaching.

• 4126 reps trained in the academic year 2013-14.

• Funded by the Scottish Funding Council since 2003.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will know how to: • Attend a rep meeting.

• Describe the work involved in being a rep.

• Use the Student Learning Experience to shape your work as a rep.

• Access support to help you as a rep.

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Group introductions

Speaking for about a minute, in groups of 5, let your fellow reps know;• Who you are.• What course you’re doing and something you like

about it.• Why you wanted to be a rep, how you came to be

a rep.• What representative experience you might have

so far.• What you’d like to get out of today.

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Purpose of a rep

• To continuously improve the student learning experience in partnership with the institution and student association by helping create solutions to problems.

• To represent your fellow classmates’ views and opinions on all matters relating to learning and teaching.

• To provide both positive and negative feedback to staff.

• To act as a communication channel between staff and students.

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Rep skills

• Communication.• Listening.• Networking.• Relationship building.• Reflection. • Presentation.

• Organisation.• Report writing.• Diplomacy.• Negotiation. • Research.• Time management /

prioritisation.

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Your course of study…

In pairs, discuss the following questions:

• What course are you studying?

• What do you hope to get out of your chosen course of study?

• What do you like most about it?

• What would you like to change about it?

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Why is representation important?

Because students are experts in their own learning and experience!

Students Course Reps

The Institution

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The Course Rep Cycle

Identify the issue

Develop & implement the solution

Feedback

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Rep/Course Meetings

• Prepare your points ahead of time.

• If you can’t hear what’s being said, or you need something to be repeated, just ask!

• If possible talk to other reps ahead of the meeting to see if you have common areas of concern, and how you can raise these.

• Speak up for people, not for them.

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The Student Learning Experience

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Curriculum

• This is how the course is put together.

• Are the learning objectives clearly stated?

• Are the learning objectives being followed?

• Is the learning relevant to what you want to do?

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Learning Resources

• Includes spaces too; classrooms, labs, lecture theatres, libraries, etc.

• Also includes teaching staff. • Any physical thing you need to learn.

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Learning and Teaching Process

• How students learn.• What teaching methods are used?• Is it the right method for the kind of course?• Is it accessible?

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Assessment and Feedback

• Are assessments spaced out well?

• Are they the right kind of assessments for the type of course?

• What kind of feedback is given? Is it of good enough quality?

• Does feedback help you see where and how you need to improve?

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Student Progression and Achievement

• Is it clear what is needed to move from year to year?

• Will your qualification get to where you want to go?

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Guidance and Support

• This is about academic guidance and support.• Student support are equipped to deal with broader

support issues.• We have to be clear where our responsibility ends

and Student Support’s begins.

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Quality Enhancement and Assurance

• They are part of the structures that exist within their institution.

• It is all about improving their learning experience.• Reps form part of the quality systems in their

institutions.

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Using the SLE

• Which questions should you deal with as reps? • Where does this fit on the SLE?• Figure out what you might do about each and, if

an issue isn’t to be dealt with, who to signpost to.• Additionally, feel free to use examples from your

own experience for this exercise.

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Short break

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Why is representation important?

Because students are experts in their own learning and experience!

Students Course Reps

The Institution

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Representational Role

Representation involves several things;

• Identifying issues.• Researching how the issues affect students.• Presenting your case to the relevant meeting or

person.• Working with them to solve the issue if you can.• Feeding back to students about what’s changed.

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Exploring Representation

Trust

Knowledge

Confidence

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Where and how do we represent?

• To teaching staff in person.

• At departmental/school meetings.

• To senior staff.

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Gathering student opinion

• In your groups write down how you would find out from your fellow classmates about whether or not they agree/disagree with these opinions.

• Discuss these methods and how they help gather student opinion – what to use when, etc.

• Ask teaching staff for a few minutes at the beginning or end of the class.

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The A,B,C,D of Effective Feedback

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Feeding Back to Classmates

As reps it’s vital that we feed back our work to our classmates.

• Usually we do this by talking directly to the class.

• Ask teaching staff for a few minutes at the beginning or end of the class.

• Think about what you want to say, ask if you can be heard at the back of the room, introduce yourself and speak clearly to the room.

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Closing the loop

Identify the issue

Develop & implement the solution

FeedbackDon’t forget to

FEEDBACKwhat you have

achieved!!

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How can reps work together?

• Remember people from this training!

• Talk about things that are going well, or problems you’re facing.

• Ask each other’s advice and support each other.

• Go to your Students’ Association for support.

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Final Exercise

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Thank you for attending Course Rep Training!

Please fill in your evaluation forms and hand them in.

name of trainer (firstname.secondname@sparqs.ac.uk)associate trainer | sparqs