Student Academic Representative (StARs) Scheme Training 2015-16
Please sign the register and take a seat
What today’s session will cover
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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
Icebreaker
Please introduce yourself to the person sitting next to you. Find out the following about each other:
• Name
• Course
• Why they decided to become a StAR
Be ready to introduce your partner to the rest of the group
Getting started
• University expects faculties to have StARs for each year and each course
• StARs identify and raise academic issues on behalf of their course mates, usually to their lecturer
and Course Leader.
• StARs attend the Course Committee meetings and liaise with the Course Leaders and other
academics throughout the year
• StARs are there to represent students on academic based issues affecting the course, studio or
Faculty
• StARs have the opportunity to stand for election to sit on their Faculty Board, UGPG Committee
and on the Student Council.
Quality Assurance Agency
• The QAA is a quality ‘Watchdog’ which ensures that courses delivered in UK Universities are of an
appropriate standard and that a good quality education is being offered
• The Quality Enhancement Unit at London Met is there to keep the University's’ Quality Framework and
work to the highest quality
• The Quality Enhancement Unit is VERY keen to work with StARs from all faculties of London Met as StARs
provide some of the most useful feedback
• Catherine Connor, Head of Quality Enhancement Unit c.connor@londonmet.ac.uk
• Habib Rahman, Deputy Head of QEU, habib.rahman@londonmet.ac.uk
StARs advice and support
StARs handbook
StARs Facebook groups (see p12 of handbook)
Students’ Union website:
https://www.londonmetsu.org.uk/stars/
SU Officers & staff
NUS Connect Student Engagement & Course Rep website:
http://tsep.org.uk/resource/nushea-student-engagement-toolkit/
QAA/NUS Quality Matters website http://qualitymatters.nus.org.uk/
London Met Metranet (for faculty and University information)
https://intranet.londonmet.ac.uk/
StARs: Officers
SU Sabbatical Officer with Education Portfolio
Nicole Mitchell: fssh.su@londonmet.ac.uk
Students’ Union faculty attached Sabbatical officers:
FSSH:
Nicole Mitchell: fssh.su@londonmet.ac.uk
CASS:
Amanda Mariellier: cass.su@londonmet.ac.uk
FBL:
Marco Brunone: guildhall.su@londonmet.ac.uk
FLSC:
Obie Opara: flsc@londonmet.ac.uk
Students’ Union staff:
Eddie Rowley, Student Voice Coordinator (Engagement & Campaigns) e.rowley@londonmet.ac.uk
Faculty StAR staff contact points:
GFBL Jane Neal-smith s.neal-smith@londonmet.ac.uk
CASS Cecile Tschirhart c.tschirhart@londonmet.ac.uk
FLSC Peter Chalk p.chalk@londonmet.ac.uk
FSSH Suzanne Burley s.burley@londonmet.ac.uk
What is the 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
University and Students’ Union.
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Identify relevant issues on the ground
Raise issues and concerns with Faculty
Feedback to course mates on any, some or no progress on the issues
Provide general and specific 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
• Introduce yourself to your class mates and make regular announcements in class ‘lecture shoutouts’
• Collect the names and emails of the students on your course and email them
• Work with the Sabbatical officers and Faculty StARs
• Join the facebook group for your faculty
• 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?
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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
Identifying issues
Group Activity 1
Ways to tackle issues
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Judge if the issue is 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
Solving issues
Group Activity 2
Decision-making flowchart
https://www.londonmetsu.org.uk/pageassets/stars/StARs-handbook-2015-16.pdf
Solving issues
In your groups, pick one of the issues you decided would be appropriate for a StAR to tackle. Come up with a
4-5 point action plan covering the steps you would take to tackle the issue. Think about:
• What we have covered so far in the session
• The guidance provided in the flowchart
• Concentrate on steps in proportion to the issue
Be ready to feedback to the rest of the class your findings.
Course Committee Structure
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Ask your Course Leader when your Course Committee meeting is and put it in your diary
Course Committees usually meet x1 a semester
2 or 3 StARs usually attend
Course Leader is the chair
Consider teaching and administrative issues surrounding the course
Should consider student issues and concerns
Library and others external to the faculty may be present
Quality coordinator may attend
Minutes are included in Course Logs and should be reviewed by Faculty managers
Before a Course Committee meeting
Before a Course Committee meeting
• Meet Course Leader beforehand so they can let you know what to expect
• Read the agenda, be aware what is and what is not on it.
• Make sure you have identified the issues you wish to raise and have feedback from your class
mates to back it up
• If you have a complicated issue to raise or/and have the 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.
• Liaise with other StARs who may attend (ask you Course Leader to put you in touch or look on
the SU website)
• Speak to your Faculty Sabbatical Officer, ask them to come along with you
• Makes sure you know where the meeting is and be on time. Being late will not help your cause!
During a Course Committee meeting
During a 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
After a Course Committee meeting
After a Course Committee meeting
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If other StARs are 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 and taking action
Sometimes you may have a 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 and taking action
Contact and work with the Students’ Union, which has the resources to run an effective campaign.
Running campaigns and taking action is a whole topic in its own right, but here are few hints:
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Use SMART targets!
Identify the decision-makers you are hoping to influence
Gather data. Learn the reasoning for the decision, always remain open-minded.
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
Careers and Employability Service
STARs can use our services for your own development and please regularly inform and remind other students
to use services :
• Careers advice and guidance for planning, CVs, applications, interviews, employability skills, postgrad
study
• Holloway Learning Centre (12pm -3pm Mon – Fri)
• Calcutta House Library (12pm -2pm Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri) or Moorgate Hub (2pm -4pm Tues, Weds,
Thurs). Book through Hubs, 0207 133 2094 or careers.studentservices@londonmet.ac.uk
Careers and Employability Service
• Job Shop – employer vacancies, on campus jobs and volunteering opportunities
www.londonmet.ac.uk/careers
• Events and Workshops - http://londonmetcareer.eventbrite.co.uk
Any questions and evaluation