Sign up is open now for Course and Senior Course Reps! If you feel you could be the voice of your peers and work to make positive change on your course - this is the role for you.
If you’re wondering what academic representation is or what a Course Rep does, then you have come to the right place! This whistle-stop tour will tell you all you need to know as well as some reasons why you should get involved in academic representation this year!
What’s the difference between levels?
At Royal Holloway, there are four levels of academic representation – Course Reps, Senior Course Reps, School Reps, and the Vice President Education. While School Reps and the VP Education are elected positions, Course Reps and Senior Course Reps are voluntary roles and sign ups are open now!
Course Reps are the largest group of academic reps, and they work to collect feedback directly from students on their course. They will also be expected to liaise with Senior Course Reps to keep in touch and share this information as well as attending regular departmental meetings along with other reps and department staff where they raise your feedback and identify solutions.
The Senior Course Rep role bridges the gap between Course Reps and School Reps to ensure there is a constant flow of information across various levels of representation. They receive feedback from Course Reps and escalate it to School Reps if feedback impacts the whole School rather than individual departments. They are also responsible for chairing the departmental meetings and keeping on top of progress on certain pieces of feedback.
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How can I represent minority voices as a rep?
When you volunteer as a Course Rep, you’ll be able to select a ‘specialism’ which will signify that you can speak to a specific lived experience and be a voice for those students on campus. If you belong to any of the following groups then you can select the specialism(s) that apply to you and contribute your perspective to any relevant projects taking place within your department: BAME, commuting, disabled, EU/International, LGBT+ or mature students.
What’s in it for me?
As an academic rep, you’ll gain loads of transferrable skills that you can add to your CV to enhance future job applications and help you stand out. Communication skills, leadership, problem-solving, teamwork and strategic thinking are just a few of the key skills you may develop throughout your time in the role; sounds good, right?
As a rep, you’ll also be invited to join all the other exciting opportunities and sessions on offer as part of the student leader development programme. You can expect workshop-style sessions around careers and employability, mental health awareness, delivering campaigns/events, equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and current news in higher education.
Volunteering as a rep allows you to make real change and to leave a positive impact on your own and your peers’ education so why not sign up today?
How do I sign up?
All you have to do is fill out a short form by Sunday 1 October to register your interest. After signing up, you'll be invited to attend a mandatory training session, then confirmed in the role and ready to get started! We're searching for superstar Course and Senior Course Reps so when you complete the form, select which role you'd like to take on from the relevant drop-down list.
If you have any questions, then feel free to get in touch with our Student Voice team at voice@su.rhul.ac.uk and a member of the team will be able to help.