Student Representative Handbook
2015-16
Student
Rep
Handbook
Revised for academic session 2015-16
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Student Representative Handbook
2015-16
Contents Page
Introduction
3
The Role of Student Reps
4
Student / Staff Liaison Groups (SSLG)
5
Other Forums for Student Involvement
6
Enhancement Themes
7
Students’ Association – SAUWS
8
Student Voice
8
SAUWS Executive Committee
9
Board of Trustees
9
Student Partnership Agreement
9
Student Representation Structure
10
Training and Support for Student Reps
11
Rewarding Student Reps
11
10 Helpful Hints and recap
12
Jargon Buster
13
Glossary of Terms
14
Useful Contacts
15
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Student Representative Handbook
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Introduction
Congratulations on becoming a student representative. Whether you are new to the University of
the West of Scotland Student Representation System or an experienced student rep, we hope this
handbook will provide everything you need to know to be successful in your representational role.
The student representation system is essential within higher education institutions providing
valuable feedback on modules, degree programmes and subject areas. It gives students direct
input into University discussions and ensures that the student perspective is considered in all
decisions made within the institution. This success is due to you, the students who put themselves
forward as student representatives, and to the fact that within School and support service across
all campuses of the University, academic and support staff are willing to listen and take on student
suggestions.
The Students’ Association and the University have joint responsibility for student representation
and as such work in partnership to ensure that full support and training is given to you in your role
as a student representative.
We hope that you enjoy your time as a student representative and that you find the information in
this handbook helpful. If you require further details on any aspect of student representation then
please get in touch using the contact details at the end of this handbook.
Best Wishes and Good luck!
From SAUWS and QEU
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The Role of Student Reps
The role of student representatives is to provide the University and Students’ Association with upto-date feedback on the education and services provided.
Student reps are viewed by the University as playing a key role in communicating information
between students, the Institution and Students’ Association. Student reps identify, through
consultation and discussion with peers, student needs and issues and report these issues to the
relevant committees. Student reps then report any outcomes from these meetings back to the
student body.
Student reps also help with internal and external quality procedures through gathering student
opinion and expressing this at relevant forums. Internally, quality is assured through the Subject
Health Review (SHR) system and externally by the Quality Assurance Agency Scotland in line with
all higher education institutions (HEIs) in Scotland.
Purpose of a Student Rep
1. To continuously improve the student learning experience in partnership with the
institution and student association by helping create solutions to problems.
2. To represent your fellow classmates’ views and opinions on all matters relating to
learning and teaching.
3. To provide both positive and negative feedback to staff.
4. To act as a communication channel between staff and students.
Key Tasks of a Student Rep:
1.
2.
3.
4.
To gather and voice the collective opinions of students on your degree programme.
To talk to staff and students about student concerns.
To disseminate information from staff to students.
To be as accessible to, and representative of, students on your degree programme.
5. Contribute to other Institutional activities such as focus groups, Subject Health Reviews
and conferences
Skills developed as a Student Rep






Communication Skills
Assertiveness
Presentation Skills
Team Development
Meeting Skills
Negotiation Skills





4
Dealing with Conflict
Time Management
Stress Management
Leadership
Problem Solving
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Student / Staff Liaison Groups (SSLG)
Student/ Staff Liaison Groups are relatively informal groupings of staff and students which meet to
discuss student-led agendas on learning and teaching issues. Everything you learn, the way you
learn and the environment in which you are taught forms your learning and teaching experience.
All student reps are eligible to attend SSLG meetings.
SSLG meetings are student-chaired where possible and all matters relating to the delivery and
content of programmes can be raised at the SSLG. The dates of SSLG meetings are published on
School notice boards and Moodle sites. You can also contact your Programme Leader who will be
able to inform you of when SSLG’s will take place.
As a student representative you have an excellent opportunity to contribute to your education.
Degree programmes are in continual development and, as the recipients of this education, you are
in a unique position to aid this development.
Examples of topics that can be raised at the SSLG are:






Programme content and Curriculum
design
Methods and timing of assessment and
feedback
Use of Moodle
Design and content of programme/
curriculum
Volume of work
Use of lectures/ seminars/ tutorials







Delivery/ pace of programme Support
for independent learning
Identification of good practice
Work-based learning
SHR opportunities for student input
Multi-campus issues
Quality of delivery
NSS and other survey results
Top tips for Effective Communication
 Think about what you want to communicate, who you want to communicate to and how
you can best get the message across
 Think about the environment and consider your timing
 Speak slowly and clearly and be consistent
 Pay attention to the response and let the person completely finish what they have to say
 Take notes and clarify any points that have not been understood
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Other Forums for Student Involvement
(i)
Programme Board, School Forums and School Board
Aside from SSLG’s there are also a number of other committees in your School that you can
contribute to. Student reps who wish to further participate in curriculum design and
development may be nominated to attend meetings of the Programme Board, School
Forums – International Forum, Education Forum and Research and Enterprise Forum, and/or
School Board.
Further information on each of these is available by clicking here. If you are interested in
any of these groups please contact your School Enhancement Developer, all their details are
at the end of this document.
(ii)
Questionnaires and student feedback
During your time at University you will be asked to complete a number of student surveys
covering a wide range of issues. You will be asked your opinion on the modules you study,
support services you use and your student experience in general. Each survey is essential to
ensuring student opinion is considered in the decision making process it is therefore
important that you complete these and encourage students on your programme to complete
them too.
The University considers student feedback as a high priority to ensure the University is
meeting expectations of students. A variety of student feedback activities exist which
include module feedback mechanisms, completion of surveys and providing feedback via the
SSLGs or via other informal feedback routes. The University/School/SSLG strives to find
effective ways to “close the feedback loop” to ensure students where, feedback has been
acted upon, or where change is not possible, the reasons why this has not happened.
(iii) Subject Health Review
The University reviews all its subjects on a 6-year cycle. This involves a panel of academic
and professional experts reviewing the taught and research provision in that subject area.
This is the main way the quality of the student experience is formally assessed and the
student experience is at the heart of Subject Health Review (SHR) process. There are several
ways in which students participate:
 The review panel will look at a range of data during their visit. This includes student
feedback analysis, SSLG minutes and evidence of other student feedback and
representational opportunities.
 Student reps on SSLG, Programme Board and School Forums may be involved in drafting
the self-evaluation document.
 Additional student focus groups may be organised a few months before the Subject
Health Review to allow further student commentary to be captured.
 UWS include a student reviewer on the Subject Health Review panel. The Students’
Association President will normally join the panel or nominate another student. (Full
support is given by QEU before students carry out this role).
 The self-evaluation document (SED) prepared by the academic team (your lecturers) for
the visiting Review panel should be accompanied by a student commentary. Once the
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SED is completed a cross-section of students from the subject area will be asked to read
the document and give their view.
 Reviewers will also meet a selection of current and former students from the subject
area and ask them their views+ on the quality of their programme.
To find out more about the Subject Health Review process, please click here.
(iv)
Approval of New/Amended Programmes
As part of the University system for the approval of new programmes, students will be
consulted to ascertain views on proposed new programmes and its structure. Schools will
make arrangements to include a student member on the drafting team to ensure student
involvement in the programme planning and design process. It may also involve discussions
via focus groups or via the SSLG or on Moodle.
(v)
Enhancement and Annual Monitoring (EAM)
The University’s approach to enhancement and annual monitoring is programme-based and
focuses on the quality of the student experience through reflection at both module and
programme level.
By completing module and programmatic surveys, students automatically contribute to this
process; participants of SSLGs will also contribute. School-Based Annual Monitoring Events
take place annually in mid-November and there are often opportunities for students to
participate in these events within their Schools.
If you would like to find out more about any of the above activities, please contact the Quality
Enhancement Unit or your School Enhancement Developer – Contact details for all are at the end
of this document
Enhancement Themes
The Enhancement Themes aim to enhance the student learning experience in Scottish higher
education by identifying specific areas (Themes) for development. The Themes encourage staff
and students to share current good practice and collectively generate ideas and models for
innovation in learning and teaching. The work of the Enhancement Themes is planned and
directed by the Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Committee (SHEEC) and there is an
Institutional Team here at UWS to take our work in this area forward.
The current theme is ‘Student Transitions’ and will run until the summer of 2017. The Student
Transition Theme looks at the transition students experience when entering, going through and
leaving education, including entering Post graduate study and/or employment.
As a student rep, you are in a perfect position to influence this theme and to improve the learning
and teaching within UWS and the wider Higher Education sector. If you would like to find out
more about this theme, please download the student friendly leaflet by clicking here and if you
would like to get involved please contact the Student Representation Co-ordinator, Claire
Lumsden, at the Students’ Association on src@sauws.org.uk.
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Students’ Association - SAUWS
Students’ Associations were formed to give students a forum to discuss the many things which
affect their everyday lives. They are run on the principle of democracy and are run by students,
for students, to promote the social, cultural, religious, political and athletic needs of the student
body. SAUWS is no different, providing a fair and independent voice for all students here at UWS.
The Students’ Association of the University of the West of Scotland (SAUWS) is your representative
body whilst you are at UWS and can represent you in a number of ways. But the Students’
Association is also here to help you represent yourself and aims to achieve this through actively
encouraging participation within, and providing support to, the student rep system. The day-today running of the Association is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees – students’ elected
annually by you, the students - and the decision making body is the Students’ Council (or SRC as it
is also known).
Student Voice
The Student Voice is the new decision making body of the Students’ Association which replaces
the Students’ Council. It is the forum where campaigns are launched, Policy of the Association is
formed and petitions penned. It is where the views of all UWS students are heard and where they
can make decisions about the direction of the Students’ Association and the University.
All issues affecting students can be taken to Student Voice to be discussed, debated and acted
upon. Be it local issues such as library opening hours, 24-hour access to labs, car parking or
catering facilities or wider issues such as the impact of government policy on students here at
UWS, Student Voice is the forum for discussing these topics.
The Student Voice is only as strong as the input from its members. By getting involved you are not
only giving the students a stronger voice but also ensuring that all problems are solved in the best
and most democratic way.
Any registered student of UWS can attend Student Voice, others who attend Voice include Student
Reps (that’s you!); members of the SAUWS Executive Committee; and representatives from sports
clubs and societies.
Each Student Voice is held using Video Conference facilities meaning that students from across the
campuses can participate with each other and debate items at the same time.
Dates for Student Voice 2015-16
Trimester 1
Trimester 2
st
Wednesday 21 October
Wednesday 24th February
Wednesday 25th November
Wednesday 30th March
For more information on each of these meetings please visit the SAUWS website by clicking
here.
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SAUWS Executive Committee
The Executive Committee are elected during Trimester 2 of each academic year to look after the
needs of the student body for the next academic year. The Executive Committee are responsible
for the day to day management of the Associations activities which includes representing the
views of students at UWS committees, taking forward campaign work which affects the student
body and implementing the policy of the Association which is formed at Student Voice.
The Executive Committee is made up of each of the Sabbatical Officers, 8 Campus Officers (2 each
from Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton and Paisley and Liberation Officers (which includes Women’s Officer,
LGBT+ Officer, Disabled Officer and Black Officer).
There is also a Union Chair, they are not a member of the Executive Committee, but acts as the
voice of students. The role is designed to create more transparency within SAUWS and to
question the elected officers on their manifesto pledges. The Union Chair is also the Chair of the
Student Voice meetings.
If you would like to find out more about the Executive Committee and the work they do, please
click here
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees are responsible for the strategic direction and budgeting of the Association
and consists of all the Sabbatical Officers, one Campus Trustee from Ayr, Hamilton, Paisley and
Dumfries campuses who are appointed and 4 external Trustees who are also appointed and who
have specific expertise which contribute to the overall aims of the Association.
As we are currently going through a period of change, information about the Board of Trustees
and how you can be involved will be posted on the SAUWS website in due course, so please keep
an eye out for this. Please visit www.sauws.org.uk regularly to keep up to date with all our
activities.
Student Partnership Agreement
The Student Partnership Agreement (SPA) is a new agreement between SAUWS and UWS. The
document outlines the principles and expectations of partnership between SAUWS and
UWS/students and staff and what we hope to achieve over the course of the year.
There are 3 main themes this year, one being Student Representation, involvement and
participation, one being Assessment and Feedback and the other is Wellbeing, these themes were
derived from a number of sources including survey results, officer manifesto’s and student
feedback.
All students will be made aware of the document once it has been passed at the appropriate
University Committee, however if you would like to view the current draft copy please click here.
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Student Representation Structure
This diagram shows an overview of representation at UWS. Adjoining black lines show actual lines of participation whilst ‘dotted’ red lines show paper trail
and provisions for representation.
Student Body
Via Election
Student / Staff
Liaison Group
Student Reps
Programme Boards
Student Voice
Executive
Committee
Academic Quality
Committee
(with 1 sabbatical
officer representative)
School
International
Forum
Student Experience
Committee
(All SAUWS sabbaticals
Representatives)
Education Advisory
Committee
Senate
Court
Assessment, Policy &
Practice Committee
(with 1 sabbatical officer
representative)
School
Education
Forum
School
Research and
Enterprise Forum
School
Board
Student
Representation
Paper Trail
Student Representative Handbook
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Training and Support for Student Reps
Training and support is provided by SAUWS throughout the year, it is important that you regularly
check your Student Email account and the SAUWS website representation pages to keep up to
date the opportunities open to you. The main page for Reps on the SAUWS website is available by
clicking here.
Student Rep Congress and Networking Sessions
The main training session of the year is incorporated into the Student Rep Congress, it is also the
first Networking Session. The Student Rep Congress is a daylong event which includes the
traditional Student Rep Training as well as workshops to aid Student Reps development of skills
and knowledge. The event provides guidance on how to represent the views of your fellow
students, the structure and role of various University committees and where to get additional
information and support. It’s also an excellent opportunity to meet fellow student reps in a
relaxed and fun environment.
There will be two further networking sessions through the year, one will be held at the start of
Trimester 2 and the other will be held in March/April. Further networking and/or training sessions
can be provided, if there is a particular skill you’d like to develop please contact Claire on
src@sauws.org.uk who will discuss your needs.
External sources of support and resources
 SPARQS
SPARQS – Student Partnership in Quality Scotland – is a national organisation that provides
training, support and resources for student representatives in HE and FE institutions across
Scotland. UWS has been working in partnership with sparqs for a number of years and they assist
us to provide high quality training and development opportunities. If you would like to find out
more about sparqs please visit: www.sparqs.ac.uk
 NUS and NUS Scotland
The National Union of Students (NUS) is a voluntary membership organisation which makes a real
difference to the lives of students and its member students' unions. They are a confederation of
600 students' unions, amounting to more than 95 percent of all higher and further education
unions in the UK and represent the interests of more than seven million students.
NUS Connect is the main site for Students, Student Reps and Student Officers, it is where you’ll
find lots of information about national campaigns and events run by NUS. If you’d like to find out
more please visit: www.nusconnect.org.uk. You can access the Course Rep Hub by clicking here.
Rewarding Student Reps
All student reps who contribute to the School Committees (including SSLG’s) will have this activity
noted as part of their Higher Education Achievement Record – also known as the HEAR. This is
built into your transcript when you leave the institution and will note your representative role and
any other activities you undertake which can be verified by the University.
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10 Helpful Hints
Being a student representative shouldn’t take up too much of your valuable time. Listed below
are a few tips to help make the most of your experience as a student rep.
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
(x)
Make sure your classmates know you’re the rep.
Give your student email address to classmates so they can contact you with issues. Please
do not give out your personal email or mobile phone number.
Gather feedback from your peers using informal methods. For example, by chatting to
classmates before and after class.
Write things down – it’s easy to forget points students raise with you, especially when
things are raised in passing.
Be representative – reps voice views representative of their peers even when they
personally disagree with that view.
Be prepared by having a look over meeting papers in advance.
Do not be afraid to ask questions during meetings – you are an equal member of the group
and asking questions can often be the most valuable way of contributing to the discussion.
Report any outcomes from the meeting back to your peers – it’s important that your
classmates know you raised issues on their behalf and that something is being done.
If you cannot attend a meeting, let the Chair person know you are unable to attend by
sending apologies.
If a student approaches you with a personal problem, refer them to Student Services or the
Students’ Association for advice and support.
Recapping Representation
R
Represent EVERYONE on your programme
E
Enable discussions & seek student’s views about their learning
P
Present student views at meetings, forums etc
R
Reflect on your own and other student’s experiences
E
Establish a partnership approach with staff and students
S
Share your experiences with other representatives
E
Evaluate the positive difference you have made over the year
N
Notify students and staff of ongoing developments (feedback)
T
Tune in and listen!
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Jargon Buster
Learning and teaching experience: can be described as your total academic experience at
university. Everything you learn, the way you learn and the environment in which you are taught
all form your learning and teaching experience
Institution: Another name for college, university, higher education institution or academy.
Quality: When people talk about quality they are talking about the teaching you receive as well as
how you learn.
Quality Enhancement: is taking deliberate steps to bring about continual improvement in the
effectiveness of the learning experience of students
Quality Assurance: refers to a range of review procedures designed to safeguard academic
standards and promote learning opportunities for students of acceptable quality
Students’ Association: Can also be called a union or guild. Its purpose is to represent students, and
their views, to senior members of staff at your institution.
Student Engagement: A term used to describe the various ways institutions get students involved
in their learning experience such as course reps, surveys, focus groups, students on committees
etc.
Chair: The person who is in charge at meetings. They will decide who speaks, what is on the
agenda and generally coordinate the meeting.
Secretary: The person who is responsible for the logistics for the meeting such as venue, time etc.
They may also pull the agenda together. They are also responsible for the minutes.
Minutes: A record of what has been said at a meeting, any decisions taken etc.
Agenda: A list of issues that are going to be discussed at a meeting.
Student Engagement: A term used to describe the various ways institutions get students involved
in their learning experience such as course reps, surveys, focus groups, students on committees
etc.
VLE: Stands for Virtual Learning Environment. It is the catch-all term for online spaces used for
learning. The UWS VLE is Moodle
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Glossary of Terms
Court
E.L.I.R.
EAC
FE
HEI
NUS
NUS Scotland
QAA Scotland
QEU
SAUWS
Senate
SEC
SFC
SHR
SPA
sparqs
SSLG
Governing body of UWS responsible for the overall planning, coordination
and development of the University
Enhancement-Led Institutional Review carried out by the QAA
Education Advisory Committee: Reports to senate on all matters relating to
the strategic development of Learning, Teaching and Assessment.
Further Education
Higher Education Institution
National Union of Students’ – national student organisation
National Union of Students’ Scotland – student organisation of Scotland
Quality Assurance Agency Scotland – responsible for assuring the quality of
programmes delivered in all Scottish HEIs
Quality Enhancement Unit – Responsible for assuring and enhancing the
quality of the student experience in accordance with QAA guidelines
Students’ Association of the University of the West of Scotland: Student run
organisation with the primary functions of representation, welfare, sports
and societies and entertainments
Academic authority of UWS responsible for the overall planning, coordination, development and direction of the academic work of the
University
Student Experience Committee: Responsible of the undertaking of a holistic
review of the student learning experience at UWS
Scottish Funding Council – The body which is in charge of the funding for
Educational Institutes in Scotland.
Subject Health Review: Enhancement-led quality measure of all subjects.
Reviews are undertaken on a 6 year cycle.
Student Partnership Agreement is a document outlining the principles and
expectations of partnership between SAUWS and UWS/students and staff
and what we hope to achieve over the course of an Academic Year.
Student Participation in Quality Scotland: Supports greater engagement of
students in the management of quality assurance and enhancement in
Scotland's Colleges and Higher Education Institutions
Student/ Staff Liaison Group: Student-led forum for discussing programme
specific learning and teaching issues
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Useful Contacts
There are many people throughout the University who can help you in your role as a student
representative. Your lectures and tutors, support staff and Students’ Association staff can help
you out along the way. A few useful contacts are:
Sabbatical Officers
Cross Campus
Jack Douglas – President – president@sauws.org.uk
John Black – Depute President Education and Welfare – dpew@sauws.org.uk
Simon Cain – Sports President – sp@sauws.org.uk
Ayr Campus
Herborg Hansen – Campus President Ayr – cpa@sauws.org.uk
Hamilton Campus
Douglas McWhirter – Campus President Hamilton – cph@sauws.org.uk
SAUWS Staff members
Cross Campus
Aileen McColl – Administrator – admin@sauws.org.uk
David Devlin – Membership Development Manager – membership@sauws.org.uk
Claire Lumsden – Student Representation Co-ordinator – src@sauws.org.uk
Heather Ward – Student Caseworker – heather.ward@sauws.ac.uk (covers Paisley and Ayr)
Barbara Robertson – Student Caseworker – barbara.robertson@sauws.org.uk (covers Paisley and
Hamilton)
Naomi Arnold – Sustainable Behaviours Coordinator - naomi.arnold@sauws.org.uk
UWS useful contacts
School Enhancement Developers
School of Health, Nursing and Midwifery – Liz Richmond – Elizabeth.Richmond@uws.ac.uk
School of Education – Helen Smith – Helen.smith@uws.ac.uk
School of Science and Sport – Simon Carr – simon.david.carr@uws.ac.uk
School of Engineering and Computing – Karen Calpin – Karen.calpin@uws.ac.uk (Engineering)
– Jen Fuller - Jen.Fuller@uws.ac.uk (Computing)
School of Business and Enterprise – Jane Kerr – jane.kerr@uws.ac.uk
School of Media, Culture and Society – Racheal Flynn – rachael.flynn@uws.ac.uk
Quality Enhancement Unit
Donna Taylor – Quality Enhancement Officer – donna.taylor@uws.ac.uk
Elizabeth Marshall – Assistant Registrar – elizabeth.marshall@uws.ac.uk
Nina Anderson -
Students’ Association of the University of the West of Scotland;
Scottish Charity Number SC005410;
The Students’ Union; Storie Street; Paisley PA1 2HB
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