Class RepresentativeHANDBOOK

Make a difference. Get involved.

Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) is a registered Scottish Charity, No. SC037971.

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e Thank you for agreeing to be a Class Representative! You might be entirely new to the University of Aberdeen or perhaps you’re an old hand. Whatever your background is, Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) is here to provide you with ongoing support in your role and to help you understand the system of Student Representation.

Class Representatives provide invaluable feedback on their learning and teaching to individual discipline areas and Schools. It’s important because it influences your student experience at the University of Aberdeen. Both the University and AUSA want you to make the best of your time with us!

This success is due to you, the students who put themselves forward as Class Representatives and to the fact that academic staff across the institution are willing to listen and take on student suggestions. The only thing you have to do is to get involved and speak up!

AUSA is responsible for the training, further events for and the support of Class Representatives. We have delivered the Introductory Training prepared in cooperation with an organisation called sparqs (Student Participation in Quality Scotland) to help prepare you for your new duties.

As one training session is never enough, we have also prepared on-line resources for you. These include a lot of additional information and will be updated it on the regular basis. You should already be attached to the course AUSA-Class Representatives on WebCT and if you are not, please let us know as soon as possible. We want this bit of cyberspace to be the lively information hub for all of you. Take your time, have a look and make the best of it!This handbook is for you as a handy source of basic information. You can always refer to it, but don’t forget that AUSA has a member of staff, who is responsible for Class Reps. If you are feeling lost at any stage or you don’t know how to deal with a problem - we are here to help you! Simply e-mail us (classreps@abdn.ac.uk) or come along for the Class Rep Drop-In session (you can find out most up to date info on WebCT)!

Good luck to you all throughout the year!

Megan McHaneyPresident for Education & Employability

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The Role of the Class RepYou are reading this as you have been elected or volunteered to be a Class Rep. Well done you! So what is this all about? We thought that the job description would be the best way of putting it all together. It’s quite a list of things to do and we hope you will enjoy it!

What is the main purpose of your job?As a Class Representative (Class Rep) you will be the Students’ Association’s link between your fellow classmates, the University and AUSA.

As a Class Representative you will be responsible for communication; listening & talking to the students in your class, representing their opinions and views to the University staff and passing information back to your colleagues and AUSA.

What are your responsibilities?• To be PROACTIVE! • To attend the training session in October 2010• To attend the AUSA Class Reps Forum• To attend one SSLC meeting per term (Student-Staff Liaison Committee)• To participate in activities, workshops and various events organised for Class Reps during the term• To make yourself known to your fellow students (Don’t worry– we’ll help you out!)• To gauge the views of students on your course and present them effectively on SSLC meetings and at AUSA

Class Reps Forums• To liaise with your elected AUSA School Convenor• To communicate agreed actions back to your classmates and AUSA School Convenor• To alert the Course Coordinator and AUSA of any issues you do not feel are being appropriately addressed • To provide AUSA with a brief summary of actions/decisions from SSLCs at the end of each term• To look at the summary of feedback from students on the Student Course Evaluation Forms (SCEFs) and raise

any issues at SSLC meetings.• To play an active role in the SCEF process in line with the University procedures

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AUSA has come up with a helpful and informative Class Rep calendar. Find out what to do and what events we have planned for you:

Month What’s on?October 2010 Training for Class Reps SSLC meeting

November 2010 Class Rep Newsletter – edition 1 (1st November) Workshop 1: Improve your skills – Effective communication (17th November) AUSA Class Reps Forum 1 (24th November)

December 2010 Class Rep Newsletter – edition 2 (6th December) Christmas Catch –Up Party for Class Reps (15th December)

January 2011 Exams… Class Rep Newsletter – edition 3 (31st January) SSLC meeting

February 2011 Workshop 2: Improve your skills – topic TBC, (9th February) Mid-year training for Class Reps

March 2011 AUSA Class Reps Forum 2 (14th March) Class Rep Newsletter – edition 4 (21st March)

May 2011 AUSA provides End of Year training for Class Reps Class Rep Newsletter – edition 5 (16th May) Exams… SSLC meeting

June 2011 End of Year Picnic Catch-Up for Class Reps and School Conveners (10th June)

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Your Next Steps

You’re about to start one of the most rewarding roles in the University. However, we recognise that it might be a little bit confusing at the very beginning, so we have come up with an action plan for you for the next few weeks.

What to do now?1. Find out when and where the next Staff-Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) meeting is (the

best way to find out is to speak to your Course Coordinator or School Secretary)

2. Add your photo and contact details to the generic poster (you’ll find it on WebCT), print it out (we can also print it for you – give us a shout!) and stick it on the departmental board to make yourself known to the students

3. Contact your class (if you don’t know how to do it – it’s all explained on WebCT and we can also give you advice) and ask them what they think about their uni experience, their course, etc. – talk to them and listen – collect feedback!

4. Go to the SSLC meeting and pass the information to staff

5. Feedback the discussions at the SSLC meeting to your fellow students!

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COMMUNICATION

Let your classmates know who you are and make sure they can always get in touch

with you. Stand up and speak to them before classes! Don’t forget to stick the poster with your photo and e-mail to your

departmental board!

Write things down – it’s easy to forget points students raise to you, especially if things are

raised in passing

Gather feedback from your classmates using informal

methods, for example chatting to them before/after class or

during lunch time

Keep your School Convenor informed about how things

are going!

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Support for Class Reps: H

ints and TipsSTUDENT – STAFF LIAISON COMMITTEE MEETINGSDon’t forget that even though you will only have one or two SSLC meetings in your semester/year, remember that you can still e-mail concerns and opinions to your Course Coordinator throughout the year. You should find out at the beginning of your first lecture of that course who your course coordinator is. If you can’t remember then just ask one of your lecturers.

At the end of SSLC there is normally time where the course coordinators will ask you for any other competent business (AOCB) – this just means if you have anything else you want to say that hasn’t been raised already feel free to say it. Make sure you use of this time and feel free to take as long as you need to make points that haven’t been discussed so far at the SSLC.

Make sure you go away from SSLCs feeling that your questions have been answered and that you understand the answers!

Try to tell your class what was discussed at the SSLCs and what the coordinators said in response to the points you raised!

Everyone on the course should have access to the minutes of the meetings. You can stand up at the beginning of the lecture and give your class an update. You can also ask your Course Coordinator or departmental secretary to circulate a quick e-mail with minutes. If you do this it will make your fellow classmates feel like their opinions are being listened to and they’ll be more likely to come to you again with issues they want to see raised!

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COMMENT CARDS

We designed Comment Cards to help you get feedback from as many students as possible. We encourage you to speak to your classmates, but sometimes it won’t be possible to get around to everyone. You can collect these cards from the Students’ Association in Butchart Centre (Room 103b)

Due to confidentiality issues, we ask you to use these cards responsibly and, when an issue is raised and you have taken note of it, please dispose the cards in one of the grey Confidential Paper Shredding & Recycling bins. The can be found across the Campus, in the Hub and in the University libraries.

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Aberdeen U

niversity Students’ A

ssociation (AU

SA)

There’s so much to say! AUSA provides representation and services for students

AUSA coordinates Class Reps, organises training and other events for them

AUSA is run by students to enhance their experiences and enable students to enjoy and gain more from their University education

AUSA has 6 Sabbatical Officers who are elected each year and work full time in AUSA offices in Butchart Centre. Sabbs are there to assist students with issues and concerns but also to help students make a difference to their University experience and that of others

You can find out more on our Website: www.ausa.org.uk

Make a difference. Get involved.

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TERMINOLOGY EXPLAINED...Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA): works closely with the University to ensure it is fully accountable and represents the needs of all 15,000+ of its members; the students at the University of Aberdeen.Academic Credit: Credit points are used to quantify learning outcomes and give them a value or currency. They are a way of showing how much time it takes, on average, to complete a qualification or learning programme. Advisor: In general, Advisers of Studies should act as a student’s personal contact with the academic and administrative structures of the University, and as such should be student-friendly, approachable and readily accessible. They should help in the students’ choice of curriculum choice, make them aware of support available to them and take an active role in monitoring their student throughout the academic year.AGM: Annual General Meeting, the ultimate policy making body.Bologna: The Bologna Process is an inter-governmental process aiming to create the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by 2010. The Bologna Declaration was signed by 29 European Ministers of Culture and Education in June 1999. The overarching objectives of the process are: (i) to create a comparable and increasingly converged system of graduate and post-graduate education across Europe, in order to maximise transferability and mobility of staff and students and (ii) to increase the international competitiveness of the European systems of Higher Education.Court: The main functions of the Court are to administer the whole property and revenues of the University, to make appointments, to fix fees charged by the University, to receive representations and reports from the Senate and the General Council on the recommendation of the Senate, to prescribe regulations for degree courses and to review on appeal any decision of the Senate. Education Committee: The education committee at AUSA is committed to protecting your academic rights and ensuring you get a high quality degree. We take in your opinions, issues and ideas and put them back to the University to make change. The committee is made up of Area of Studies Convenors, Postgraduate Representatives, and Ordinary members, all of whom support a huge network of class representatives and projects throughout the University.Education Development Co-ordinator: a staff member of AUSA responsible for training, coordination of Class Reps, organizing other events for them and producing all needed resources. Education Development Co-ordinator works closely with President for Education and Employability.ELIR: Enhancement Led Institutional Review is similar to the process of Internal Teaching Review (ITR), but it examines the institution, not its constituent teaching departments. ELIR provides a check on an institution’s quality assurance procedures. More importantly, it provides a formal focus for its programme of quality enhancement, defined as “taking deliberate steps to bring about continuous improvement in the effectiveness of the learning experience of students”. Executive Committee: The group who implement all Student Association Policies & Decisions.Exit and Entry points: If you leave having just completed first and second year, you may qualify for a HND (Higher National Diploma). If you leave having completed three years, you leave with a degree, rather than a degree with honours. These certificates can all be used to regain access to a degree at a later period of life.Head of College: Each College is managed by a Head of College who has overall executive responsibility for the deployment of resources for teaching and research.

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Head of School: Chief administrator within a department.ITR: Internal Teaching Review, a review within a department concerning teaching and learning standards. One of its primary aims is to provide a formal opportunity for a School to reflect on, and critically evaluate, its teaching and learning provision and to benefit from a constructive dialogue with, and commentary by, a Panel of senior academics from outwith the School, an external subject specialist(s) and a student repNUS: The National Union of Students is the main confederation of students’ unions that exist inside the United Kingdom. Although the NUS is the central organization for all affiliated unions in the UK, there are also the devolved national sub-bodies NUS Scotland, NUS Wales & NUS-USI (Northern Ireland) - www.nus.org.uk/scotlandPresident for Education & Employability: chairs the Education Committee and has remit including Joblink and Volunteering. They can answer all your questions on everything from your degree to your career and is here to guide you (with the help of the committee of course) through your years at Aberdeen. As a member of Senate, University Teaching and Learning Committees, the Employers Board and many other University committees they are in a great place to take your issues all the way to the top! Also works closely with NUS to make sure that the AUSA is at the front of issues facing students across Scotland and the UK.Postgraduate Programme Coordinator: Duties include processing and evaluating PG applications, progress monitoring for existing PG students.Regent: In Medicine, a Regent system operates to provide non-academic support for undergraduate medical students.Registry: The Registry is responsible for many aspects of student and academic administration. School Convenor: the Class Reps’ Class Rep. They are also the link between staff and students.Senate: The Senatus Academicus (or Senate) is the supreme academic body of the University of Aberdeen. The core functions of the Senate are exceedingly broad and are specified in the Universities (Scotland) Acts as “to regulate and superintend the teaching and discipline of the University and to promote research”. The Senate is chaired by the Principal & the Vice-Chancellor. Its membership includes all Vice-Principals, Heads of College, Heads of School, elected representatives of the academic and research staff of each School, representatives of the Students’ Association and a number of ex officio members who hold University, College or School appointments. sparqs: (Student Participation in Quality Scotland) a free service which is funded by the Scottish Funding Council to assist and support students, students’ associations and institutions to improve the effectiveness and engagement in quality assurance and enhancement in institutions across Scotland. Sparqs helps us to develop training and other resources for Class Reps. - www.sparqs.ac.ukSSLC: Staff Student Liaison Committee meetings are where the class reps meet with their course coordinators to discuss the course.Student Association Council: The highest decision making committee within the Students’ Association. Teaching and Learning Committee: To be responsible to the Senatus Academicus for the development of policies and practices for the assurance of the quality of the University’s educational provision, particularly in relation to the design, implementation, evaluation and review of mechanisms for the quality assurance and quality enhancement of teaching and learning, and for the safeguarding of academic standards.Undergraduate Programme Coordinator: Duties include advising students on degree programmes, progress monitoring, writing references.VP: The Vice President for Education sits on the Education Committee and works with the President for Education & Employability to make all things Education work smoothly. Often supporting Area of Study Conveners and running education campaigns the VP is a busy position but is always there to help.

Contact usRemember! If you’re feeling lost at any stage, we are here to help you!

Simply e-mail us (classreps@abdn.ac.uk) or come along for the Class Rep Drop-In session (you can find out on WebCT where these are)!

You can also give us a ring: 01224 274 591See you soon!