Transcript Student Academic Representative (StARS) Scheme training

Student Academic
Representative (StARs) Scheme
Training 2014-15
Please sign the register and take a seat
What today’s session will cover
StARs scheme at London Met
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Welcome & Ice-breaker
Quality Assurance
Role of a StAR?
Advice and support
Make yourself known
Feedback
Identifying & dealing with issues
Course Committee meetings
Campaigning and taking action
Communication hints and tips
Evaluation Form
Ice-breaker!
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Form a circle in alphabetical order of the town or
city you were born in
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Introduce yourself to the group and state name,
course and town/city
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State why you decided to become a StAR?
StARs: Getting Started
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University expects faculties to have StARs for each year
of each course
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StARs to attend Course Committee meetings and liaise
with Course Leaders and other academics throughout
the year
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4-7 Faculty StARs per faculty elected to the Student
Council
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StARs are there to represent students on academic
based issues effecting the course, studio or faculty
Quality Assurance Agency
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The QAA is a quality ‘Watchdog’ which ensures that courses
delivered in UK Universities were of an appropriate standard and
that a good quality education was being offered
The Quality Enhancement Unit at London Met is there to keep
the Universities Quality Framework and work to make sure the
high quality of teaching
The Quality Enhancement Unit are VERY keen to work with StARs
from all faculties of London Met. StARs provide some of the most
useful feedback
Catherine Connor, Head of Quality Enhancement Unit
[email protected]
Habib Rahman, Deputy Head of QEU,
[email protected]
StARs: Advice and support
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StARs handbook
Students’ Union website:
http://www.londonmetsu.org.uk/studentacademicreps/
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SU Officers & staff
NUS Connect Course Rep website:
http://www.nusconnect.org.uk/campaigns/highereducation/studentengagement/courserephub/
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QAA/NUS Quality Matters website http://qualitymatters.nus.org.uk/
London Met Metranet (for faculty and University information)
https://intranet.londonmet.ac.uk/
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StARs: Officer & staff contacts
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SU Sabbatical Officer with Education Portfolio
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Students’ Union faculty attached Sabbatical officers:
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FSSH:
CASS:
FBL:
FLSC:
Nicole Mitchell: [email protected]
Amanda Mariellier: [email protected]
Marco Brunone: [email protected]
Obie Opara: [email protected]
Students’ Union staff:
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Nicole Mitchell: [email protected]
Eddie Rowley, Student Voice Coordinator (Engagement & Campaigns)
[email protected]
Faculty StAR staff contact points:
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FBL - Andrew Halford [email protected]
CASS - Cecile Tschirhart [email protected]
FLSC - Peter Chalk [email protected]
FSSH - Martin Murray [email protected] (interim)
1. What is the role of a StAR?
Understand the role of a StAR
Group Activity 1
Role of a StAR
‘To represent students views and opinions on all matters
relating to teaching and learning in an effort to
continuously improve the student learning experience in
partnership with the institution and Students’ Union.’
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Identify issues on the ground
Raise issues and concerns with Faculty
Notify course mates of developments and opportunities
Provide feedback (positive and negative) to faculty
Build strong working-relationship with Course Leader &
Module Leader etc
Be consulted by faculty on relevant issues and
contribute to development and strategy of faculty.
Making yourself known
How can you make yourself known as a StAR?
Making yourself known
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Introduce yourself to your class mates and make regular announcements in
class ‘lecture shout-outs’
Collect the names and emails of the student on your course and email them
Ask your Course Leader to forward on correspondence to the course
Work with the Sabbatical officers and Faculty StARs
Join StARs Facebook group (ask you sabbatical officer – see slide 7)
Carry out a survey or questionnaire to find out what students think
Ask in your Faculty if you can use a notice board or part of a notice board to
publicise yourself
Communicate information your receive from the Students’ Union, University,
National Union of Students (NUS) and other external student focused
organisations
Make friends and work in partnership with other StARs in your faculty
Communicate with the StARs doing the same course as you but in different
years, work together!
Feedback
What areas could you feedback on?
 Teaching on the course
 Style and delivery skills of academics
 Assessments (exams and coursework)
 Academic feedback from lecturers
 Academic support
 Lab, Gym & other specialist facilities
 Learning resources (such as the Library, Weblearn)
 Organisation and management of your course / University
experience
 Restructuring of department/university
 Time-tabling
 General University Services
 University estate, IT and other services
2. Identifying Issues
Group Activity 2
See:
Group Activity 2 instruction sheet
Scenario Cards
Flowchart (next slide)
Solving issues
See flowchart on next slide see this link:
http://www.londonmetsu.org.uk/pageassets/union/reps/StARs
-Handbook-2014-15.pdf
Ways to tackle issues
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Judge if the issue is one for a StAR or not to deal with
Discuss with other StARs, Faculty StARs, Sabbatical Officers
See if other students feel it is an issue?
Is the issue widely felt, deeply felt and winnable?
Informal chat with relevant staff member (informal resolution of
issue is usually preferable
Ask for a formal meeting if required
Raise at course committee meetings
Raise with staff StARs contacts (see slide number 7)
Ask Faculty StARs to raise them Raise at Faculty Academic Board
and UGPG Committee
Email or write a letter, ask others to put their name to it.
If no satisfactory response consider starting a campaign
Course Committee Structure
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Ask your Course Leader when your Course Committee meeting is and put it
in your diary
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Course Committees usually meet x1 a semester
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2 or 3 StARs usually attend
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Course Leader is the chair
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Consider teaching and administrative issues surrounding the course
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Should consider student issues and concerns
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Library and others external to the dept may be present
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Quality coordinator may attend
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Minutes are included in Course Logs and should be reviewed by Faculty
managers
Course Committee Preparation
What should you do before a course committee meeting?
Before the Course Committee
meeting:
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Meet Course Leader beforehand so they can let you know what to expect
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Read the agenda, be aware what is and is not on it.
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Make sure you have identified the issues you wish to raised and have
feedback from your class mates to back it up
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If you have an complicated issue to raise or and have research/evidence to
produce e.g. survey, emails from course mates send them to the Course
Leader before the committee meeting so they have a chance to digest the
issue.
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Liaise with other StARs who may attend (ask you Course Leader to put you
in touch or look on the SU website)
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Speak to your Faculty Sabbatical Officer, ask them to come along with you
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Makes sure you know where the meeting is and be on time. Being late will
not help your cause!
Course Committee Preparation
What should you do during a course committee meeting?
During the Course Committee
meeting:
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Listen
Raise hand to speak
Raise you issues clearly and concisely
Present any evidence you have
Don’t be confrontational, work in partnership
Take notes, ask for clarification if you are not sure what is being said
Remembers to note down action points
If you don’t understand a term used, ask!
At the end of the meeting clarify the decisions taken and when they
are to be actioned (this prevents drift)
Confirm the date of the next meeting. Request a follow-up meeting
to deal with a specific issues if required.
Make sure the Secretary has your email
Course Committees
What should you do after a Course
Committee meeting?
After the Course Committee
meeting:
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If other StARs present have a debrief straight away
Write up you notes and action points right away
Feedback to your course mates and the Students’ Union ASAP
If you are not happy with the conduct of the meeting then speak to
another academic in your faculty and express your concern
Provide any constructive criticism you have of the committee to the
Faculty
Campaigning & taking action
Sometimes you may have a widely felt, deeply felt and winnable issue
which you can’t make any real progress on. In this situation you may decide
to launch a campaign and take some action.
In this situation you should discuss with the Students’ Union officers. They,
along with Students’ Union staff can assist you in launching the campaign.
Campaigning & taking action
Contact and work with the Students’ Union, who have the resources to run an
effective campaign. Running campaigns and taking action is a whole topic
in its own right, but here are a few hints:
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Use SMART targets!
Identify who the decision-makers are you are hoping to influence
Gather data. Learn the reasoning for the decision, always remain openminded.
Ask Student Reps on board of Governors, Academic Board etc to formally
raise the issue
Read and critique the rationale for the decision you are campaigning
against. Can you successfully challenge the (business) case
Organise meetings
Email & letter writing campaign
Use social networking: facebook, twitter etc
Work with allies: Other StARs, academics, NUS, Students, other Students’
Unions, Local MPs, Staff Unions (UNISON, UCU - is there common
ground?)
Press and Media
Stunt, Lobbies, protests, boycotts
Any questions?
Contact details:
[email protected]