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ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STUDENT ACADEMIC REPRESENTATION SYSTEM AT
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
1.
1.1
Introduction
This academic year has seen further enhancements within the Student
Academic Representation system at Cardiff. This report outlines the key
achievements of the SAR system this academic year, along with
recommendations for the next.
1.2
The information in this report has been based on
1) The work undertaken to date.
2) The perceptions of first year students through the Welcome to Cardiff
Survey.
3) The views of Student Academic Representatives who responded to their
Annual Student Academic Rep survey.
4) The views of Student Rep Co-ordinators (SRCs) in an open consultation.
2.
2.1
Student Voice Officer
The Student Voice Officer position was appointed in June 2012, a role put in
place to support the Student Academic Representation system at Cardiff
University and wider student voice activity. This role is based both within
the Students’ Union and Registry and Academic Services’ Education Team;
providing direct support to the Education and University Affairs Officer.
This role has enabled the Student Academic Representation system to have
a wider range of support, which is outlined in this report.
3.
Student Academic Representatives
Raising Awareness of the Student Academic Representation system
With the increased resource arising from the appointment of the Student
Voice Officer, it was possible to attend a significant number of Induction
talks for first year students to raise awareness of the system: 32 talks were
held in 11 Schools, the majority of which were to first year undergraduate
students. The Student Academic Representation system was also a presence
in the freshers’ fayres for the first time at both the Healthcare Freshers’
Fayre and in the Great Hall. There was also an increase in the promotional
materials for Student Academic Representation, such as post-it notes and
pop- up banners, in addition to posters that have been provided to schools
over the previous couple of years. We also created a Rep Search function
on the Student Voice web pages for students.
3.1
3.2
The outcome of the awareness raising of the Student Academic
Representation system is reflected in the findings of the Welcome to Cardiff
survey. Comparing the to the question ‘Have you been made aware of the
student academic representative system within your School?’ between last
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academic year and the current academic year in Table 1 below, shows that
there is an increase in awareness at both undergraduate and postgraduate
taught level.
Table 1: Welcome to Cardiff 2012 responses to awareness of Rep System
UG 12-13 11-12
PGT 12-13 11-12
PGR 12-13 11-12
Yes
81.2%
74.5%
Yes
78.7% 73.5%
Yes
74.1% 75.5%
No
18.8%
25.5%
No
21.3% 26.5%
No
25.9% 24.5%
3.3
As well as improving the number of students aware of the system, 94% of
the Student Academic Reps who completed their annual survey felt they had
been made aware of what the role entailed. There were however a few
comments regarding the time commitment required, as students had not
realised how much work would be involved prior to and after Student-Staff
Panel meetings.
3.4
The results of both the Welcome to Cardiff Survey and Student Academic
Rep survey are, on the whole, very positive. There are however areas to
improve, including the awareness of
the system to Postgraduate
Research students. A way to overcome this could be the introduction of a
promotional video that could be used to replace lecture talks and could be
used on social media and closer working with the University Graduate
College.
3.5
3.6
Recruitment
A deadline of mid October was given to SRCs for the collation of rep names
in order to arrange training prior to the majority of the first Student-Staff
Panels taking place. The majority of Schools were able to achieve this,
exceptions being Schools with a substantial proportion of part time and
postgraduate students or distance learning students. The timing for
postgraduate students inductions differ, which will be taken into account in
future when setting deadlines. In total, we received 971 Student Academic
Rep names, a similar figure to last academic year.
Whilst the names were received in the time frame set, there were issues
because many schools did not use the pro-forma provided for the collation
of rep names. This caused significant problems when trying to identify year
groups or enrolling students onto our Learning Central module. The
importance of completing the pro-formas next year needs to be emphasised
in order to avoid this happening in future years. The University will
continue to investigate the best methods of capturing Student Academic
Reps in SIMS as detailed in their response to the Student Submission 11-12
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which will eventually overcome this issue. The collation of names of School
Chairs in some Schools also proved to be problematic and this created a
delay in holding Students’ Union meetings. The importance of receiving the
names of Chairs needs to be emphasised to SRCs. These requirements can
be articulated clearly in the Operational Guide and at the SRC briefings.
3.7
Elections
There is a good understanding amongst SRCs of the need to operate
democratic processes for the selection of Reps, and there are a range of
methods currently being used. In the 2012 Welcome to Cardiff Survey
students were asked if the election for their Student Academic
Representatives had taken place by October, the responses were fairly low
(see Table 2). This does not necessarily mean that elections have not
happened; it could be that some students were not aware of them taking
place or have not remembered. There is also some variation when
compared to last year, which could be explained by a minor rewording to
the questions to include a timescale on when elections had taken place by.
The results from the Student Academic Rep Survey show (Table 3) shows
that the majority of Reps were appointed by volunteering for the role,
without an election. The processes adopted for the appointment of Student
Academic Reps needs to be considered further. However it is important to
get a balance between democracy and ensuring the University and the
Students’ Union has sufficient numbers of Reps in place in a timely manner
to be effective in their role. The Students’ Union have recently updated
their website which would allow for us to run pilot online elections next
Academic Year if any Schools would like to run an online election.
Table 2: Welcome to Cardiff 2012 responses to whether elections have been
held
12UG 12-13 11-12
PGT 12-13 11-12
PGR
13
11-12
Yes 57.4% 57.5%
Yes 60.1% 60.5%
Yes
37% 29.7%
No
4.7%
7%
No
9.4% 7.3%
No
3.7% 16.2%
Don't
Don't
Don't
know 38.0% 35.5%
know 30.5% 32.2
know 60% 54.1%
Table 3: Student Rep Survey responses to how reps have been appointed
How were you chosen to become a Student Academic
Rep?
Through an election:
24.4%
Volunteered for the role (without election):
70.0%
Asked to take on the role (by a member of
5.6%
staff):
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Training
The appointment of the Student Voice Officer has enabled Student
Academic Representatives to be trained in their School with their fellow
Student-Staff Panel members, supported by the SRCs in terms of identifying
a time that was suitable for all representatives to attend. Over 500
students were trained in 2012/13 over 32 individual training sessions, in
2011/2 there were 300 trained in two larger sessions. Three Schools were
unable to arrange a bespoke training session and an additional three training
sessions were held in the Students’ Union for those who has missed their
training or who had not had a session in their School. There has also been an
increase in the number of students coming in individually for training in the
Students’ Union. 86% of the 272 respondents of the Annual Student
Academic Rep Survey said they had been made aware of the training
sessions, with the majority of those saying they had not been made aware
coming from those Schools unable to arrange School training.
3.8
3.9
When we asked Student Academic Reps about their training sessions:



83% of respondents found the training sessions it helpful
82% of them found the handbook of use
29% of students’ surveyed said they had not seen the handbook, a
reflection on the fact this is given at training sessions.
When asked how they’d like to see training improved, suggestions included:



Having some training sessions in the evening for those unable to attend
the training within their Schools.
Adding a competitive element to the representation structure between
Schools.
Creating a clearer mechanism for students to report their problems to
their Reps.
To overcome these problems next year it would be advisable to:




3.10
Ensure all Reps have a handbook, by sending an electronic version upon
election.
Create School-specific email addresses for students to contact their reps.
Arrange evening training sessions.
Develop further online training for representatives not on campus.
Student Academic Rep conference
A new development for 2012-13 was the introduction of our Student
Academic Rep Conference, held on the 5th of February. This was attended
by 84 students as part of the event ‘Speak Week’ during the first week of
February. This conference brought together members of staff from the
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University, the Students’ Union and external representatives from NUS and
the QAA. The sessions provided students with workshops on communicating
with their cohort, student surveys and the quality code. Next year we aim to
have more students present. Greater awareness of the conference needs to
be ensured next year to maximise the number of student academic reps
attending.
4.
4.1
Student Academic Rep Co-ordinators
The Student Rep Co-ordinators (SRCs) in all Schools provide invaluable
support to the University and their students in the implementation of the
representation system, and is an initiative that has interested other
Institutions when we have been invited to discuss representation at
conferences. Ten Schools have chosen to have SRCs at Undergraduate and
Postgraduate-level. The network of SRCs has improved communication and
accessibility of rep names within the necessary deadlines. It would be
advantageous for us to encourage all Schools to put in place SRCs for
Undergraduate and Postgraduate-level allowing more attention to our
Postgraduate SARS and reducing the workload on individuals.
4.2
The Operational Guide given to SRCs was updated this year, and although
staff found the document of use, many commented on its length. We aim to
create a shortened version and to update the support pages we have in
place for them, making it more user friendly. The second SRC briefing in
September was well attended by the co-ordinators from across the Schools.
Individual visits with SRCs have been set up for summer 2013, providing an
opportunity for Schools to discuss their particular queries and requirements
with the Student Voice Officer. It is hoped that, given this one-to-one
support, the next SRC briefing event can be shorter, more informal and
enable the sharing of good practice.
4.3
Communication with the SRCs has increased, ensuring they are updated on
key events. This included asking for their support in nominating students
which resulted in one being shortlisted for SAR of the year with the National
Union of Students Wales. We have also added an SRC of the year award
within the Enriching Student Life Awards to thank staff for their dedication.
5
5.1
Communication
The use of social media to inform students about the Student Academic
Representation system at Cardiff has developed significantly this year, with
over 600 people following our @CU_StudentVoice twitter account and over
300 students on the new Cardiff Student Voice Facebook and separate reps
group. These have provided us with a good way to inform students and staff
of the activities we undertake with the representation system and to ask for
volunteers when looking for students to attend focus groups, policy
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networks etc. We have also developed a monthly newsletter updating reps
on key events and academic issues affecting their students at the time,
including survey promotion. In 2013-14, all reps will be encouraged to join
the rep specific Facebook group to enhance communication further.
5.2
A Learning Central module for representatives has also been produced this
year. It includes training resources and message boards for Student Reps to
communicate with one another. Due to the problems in completing proformas some students were not added to Learning Central in a timely
manner, and this will be looked into for 2013-2014. A new training module
will be developed within the Learning Central module for distance learners,
those on placement or unable to attend training.
6.
6.1
The effectiveness of the Student Academic Rep System
When asked if they felt their School valued their role, 85% of reps surveyed
said yes. Those that felt valued commented that staff in their Schools were
keen to engage and relied on them for feedback, particularly when course
structures had changed. Some however felt that staff at times only listened
when they had positive comments, and were less interested in negative
issues or suggestions for improvements. 74% of Reps felt that they had
fulfilled their role to date as they had contributed well in meetings and had
fed back outcomes to their cohorts. However some students did note that
they struggle to feed back to their cohorts or canvass opinion and feedback
from their peers. Some students combat this through the use of their
subject-based society.
6.2
96% of respondents felt that Student-Staff Panels were an effective way of
raising issues or highlighting good practice. Students feel listened to by
staff and like that they tend to be rather informal, but would prefer them
to be more frequent. Student-Staff panel minutes are now collated into a
Google document for both the University and Union staff to view. This helps
track what the key issues are for students across the University and guides
the Education and University Affairs Officer in meetings. It also allows the
evidence arising from SSPs to be looked at more holistically with other
evidence arising from student voice activities. This has proven successful so
far and it is hoped to develop this further next year.
6.3
In 2012-13 College forums replaced Academic Council. The College Forums
meet once a term and are chaired by the Education and University Affairs
Officer and aided by the Education Executive. Student-Staff Panel chairs
and the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience and Academic Standards)
attends to discuss a variety of issues, current projects, and to share good
practice. Minutes of the College forums are published on the Students’
Union website.
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6.4
Speak Week was the first campaign week dedicated to the Student Voice at
Cardiff. The week encouraged students to ‘speak out’ and ‘have their say’
and talk to their representatives. Reps gave up their time to man stalls and
ask students to complete the ‘Have your say’ postcards and surveys. It
engaged a wide range of students, both at UG and PG level and across all
our academic disciplines. Over 500 individual students filled out our ‘Have
your say’ postcards and over 200 surveys were completed during the week.
This week encouraged Reps to talk in front of their cohort to gain feedback
for their second term Student-Staff Panel.
6.5
The Student Academic Rep Awards have been enhanced this year, including
the
introduction of awards for Student-Staff Panel of the Year and
Campaign of the Year. Over 40 individual representatives were nominated
for awards, by staff and fellow students, which is a considerable increase on
last academic year where students only nominated themselves. These
awards, along with developing a way of recognition for the representatives,
provide us with an opportunity to celebrate the increasing engagement of
students and staff. When asked would they, if able, want to continue as a
Rep next year 85% of respondents said that they would, with 11% of students
yet to decide, indicating clear satisfaction levels with the representation
system.
6.6
Cardiff University and Students’ Union have been recognised for their
partnership work with regards to the student voice through invitations to
talk at the NUS Wales Course Rep Conference and the Wales Health Student
Forum, with many other Institutions asking further questions on how to
develop a similar Student Voice framework within their Institution.
6.7
When asked if they thought their School or Students’ Union could provide
them with any additional support, the majority of students felt happy with
the support they had received to date. They would however:
 Welcome reinforcement from staff to help to explain to their cohorts the
importance of their roles and help them contact the students they
represent, including being able to easily email their cohorts.
 Have more frequent Student-Staff Panel meetings.
 Attend additional training sessions on communicating with their cohort
and in developing their professional skills.
7.
7.1
Recommendations
Based on the feedback and overall evaluation from all those involved in the
Student Academic Rep system, the following recommendations have been
formulated to further enhance the Student Academic Rep system at Cardiff
for next academic year.
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7.2
Recruitment:
 Increase the number of induction talks and develop a promotional video
about the Rep system.
 Acknowledge the date variations for postgraduate and part-time, distance
learner students.
 Aim to increase the number of elections that take place.
 Continue to investigate the best methods of capturing Student Academic
Reps in SIMS.
 Explore how to obtain the names of School Chairs sooner.
7.3
Training:
 Ensure that all representatives are aware of training.
 Send electronic copies of handbooks to students when they are elected.
 Include key contacts within schools and information on further rep events
in the handbook.
 Plan additional training sessions in the evening.
 Create further training sessions for reps who want it.
 Create online training for those unable to attend training in schools.
 Evaluate the additional training session in collaboration with the Careers
on employability and the Student Academic Rep System and determine
whether to offer this again next year.
7.4
Communication:
 Creating School-specific email addresses, administered by the Student
Voice Officer.
 Encourage all Reps to join the Student Academic Rep Facebook Group, as
this has proven to be a good communication mechanism.
7.5
Support:
 Work proactively with Schools to continue to help reinforce the
importance of the Rep system.
 Provide support and guidance about effective use of Student-Staff Panels
and how to conduct positive and constructive discussions that are open
and receptive to all views, issues and concerns.
7.6
Student Academic Rep Co-ordinators
 Shorten and revise the Operational Guide.
 Update and improve the Student Voice website.
 Investigate increasing the number of SRCs in each school (UG and PG).
 Shorten and adapt the SRC briefing event.
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8.
8.1
Conclusion
The ongoing development of the Student Academic Representation system
this year has been very positive, and the partnership approach between the
Students’ Union and University has enabled us to provide students with a
wider range of support and guidance than was available previously. This is
reflected in the increased levels of engagement from the SARs with
promotion of surveys and events to other students as well as the overall
awareness of the system. The invites to talk at the NUS Wales Course Rep
Conference and Wales Health Student Forum also indicates that other
organisations are recognising Cardiff for their work which would be
desirable to continue for future years.
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