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eYOUR STUDENTS’ UNION

UNION GOVERNANCE AND DEMOCRACY

STUDENTS’ UNION EVALUATION INITIATIVE

THE ROLE OF A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE

TIME MANAGEMENT

COMMITTEES

GATHERING STUDENTS’ VIEWS

INFLUENCING SKILLS

HOW TO FEED BACK

QUALITY

TASK - WHERE DO I TAKE ISSUES?

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MEETING ETIQUETTE 18

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This booklet contains the material to support the training that your Student Representa ve Co-ordinators will give you. Please bring it to all training sessions.

You will see that this booklet is not chronological, but thema c: we have tried to keep related parts of training together, even though they may be delivered at different mes.

Introduc on

You are.All registered students at Anglia Ruskin University are members of the Students’ Union: whether you are undergraduate, postgraduate, full me, part

me, campus based or a distance learner, you are a member of the Students’ Union unless you have specifically chosen to opt out.

Representa on is at the heart of what the Students’ Union – or any union – does. All unions exist to give their members a collec ve voice, and

to support their members when they need help. The SU is no different. We talk to your University regularly about the impact its decisions have on students (and wherever possible, we are involved in the decision making), we support Student Representa ves and we offer an independent Advice Service.

As well as the serious stuff, the SU also runs socie es and sports clubs, bars and shops. In Cambridge, we manage the campus gym.

What is the Students’ Union?

Left to Right: Emma, Maiken, Matt, Kelly and Lisa

Sabba cal Officers 2009-10

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To put Anglia Ruskin students

at the forefront of everything we do

To represent, serve and support all Anglia Ruskin

students to enhance their University experience

To become nationally recognised as a first-

class provider of student representation

To be central to the University’s decision-making processes and to be

recognised as a critical factor in all plans for change and development

To be responsive to the University’s broadening ambitions and to monitor how these reflect the requirements of

Anglia Ruskin students

Valu

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We put students first

We are impartial and independant

We are professional, accessible and friendly

We are inclusive and respect

diversity

We are proud of our democratic structure

We invest in our staff, elected officers and volunteers to allow

them to achieve their full potential

We are proactive, actively listen and are responsive to our

members

We make ethical decisions and aim to minimise our impact on the

environment

We are a ‘not for profit’ organisation and utilise our

resources effectively

We celebrate success

We actively promote our role to our members

Prio

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Ask MembersGo Out And Talk, use surveys and the use the

student rep system to gather opinion.

Active PromotionProactively promote services offered by the SU

including successes and achievements.

Accessible Decision MakingEnsure democratic structures focus on student

involvement.

Harness TechnologyActively pursue new technology to assist in more

comprehensive communication.

Corporate ImageEnsure the Union’s branding is consistently

applied.

Acti

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Establish a good working relationship with the International Office to improve communication between the Union and International Students.

FeedbackEnsure feedback is continuous to all stakeholders

as appropriate.

Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union Communications Strategy Map

Work with the University to implement the new VLE to communicate with distance learners and

placement students.

Increase the presence of the Students’ Union on campus and in the local area by working with the

University and local community.

Establish a good working relationship with the Health and Social Care and Education faculties to improve communication to and from placement students.

Work with local communities and councils to improve communications with local residents and

local students.

Review and improve the Sabbatical Officer GOAT strategy and communication.

Review the Unions’ induction process to ensure that all new student are recieving the relevant information

in the correct formats.

Review the Unions’ online presence, including pres-ence on the VLE, and develop communication with

new technologies.

Attend University networking events. Develop a networking calendar with University and the local

community.

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

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Representing, serving and supporting you, to enhance your university experience

Students campaigning for a fairer Higher Education funding system at the Students in the Red: Regional Day of Action, Nov 2008

Sabbatical Officers

The SU is run by five Sabbatical Officers, Anglia Ruskin students who choose to spend a year (or two) giving something back to their University: Sabbatical officers have usually completed their studies, but they may be taking a year out. Usually known as the ‘sabbs’, they are elected by you and the other students every March, with their term of office running from July to July. The Sabbs are shown in the photo on the previous page.

The President, Academic Affairs Officer and the Communications Officer are cross campus, sharing their time between Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Fulbourn. The Student Experience Officers are not, each having campus specific responsibilities (for the officer based at Cambridge, this includes Peterborough and Fulbourn).

What do the sabbs do?

They tell your University what its students think. They do this by talking to students and finding out their views and then attending a range of meetings appropriate to their role, up to and including the Board of Governors and passing those views on: in fact, just what you do, but on a larger scale. Each sabb also takes responsibility for a Faculty, attending its Faculty Board and Learning & Teaching Committee.

How The Union WorksThe officers also campaign to raise awareness of issues affecting students at Anglia Ruskin: campaigns can be local or national (in conjunction with the National Union of Students, NUS). More detail is given below.

Part Time Officers

To help the sabbs run the Union, there are a number of part time officers: these are students who take responsibility for a particular area of the Union’s activities and their roles are campus specific. Part time officers continue their studies during their term of office and are unpaid. The part time positions include mature students’ officer; clubs and societies officer; welfare officer and LGBT officer – for a full list, see the Union’s website, www.angliastudent.com.

Staff

The SU employs staff to support the officers: your SRCs are staff, as are the Student Advisers. We also employ student staff to work in the office, the shop, the bar, and in Cambridge, the gym. (If you would be interested in working for the SU, contact your local SU office.)

The Advice Service

The Advice Service is a vital part of what the SU does. It provides free, confidential, impartial and independent advice to students. More details about the Advice Service can be found in your Student Rep Handbook or on the SU website, www.angliastudent.com.

Questions

If you have any questions about the SU and how it operates ask a sabb! You can find them in your SU office. They are always happy to talk to you.

Other sources of help

The SU is not the only resource for students: depending on the type of issue that students are raising with you, it may be more appropriate to refer them to one of the University’s support services. A chart giving details of support available on your campus will be distributed at Induction Training session 1.

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Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union embarked on the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI) in May 2008. We attended the first workshop in London on 7 May 2008 and joined seventeen other Students’ Unions in the fifth cohort of the project, which was launched in 2006.

SUEI is an assessment model designed to apply a quality framework to the work of the Students’ Union in order to drive forward continuous improvement in services and activities. Its prime motivator is to make a positive difference to the experience of students whilst at University and the initiative is therefore student-focussed and student-led.

SUEI has the endorsement of the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, (previously named Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills), the Equality Challenge Unit, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, the National Union of Students and the Association for Managers in Students’ Unions (AMSU).

The project spans two years, during which time we will be working towards achieving the standards required in the five themes and fifteen Key Lines of Enquiry (KLEs). This will be a challenging task, requiring commitment, time and dedication in gathering the supporting evidence and leading the Students’ Union forward.

The five themes and fifteen KLEs are:

What’s so special about the Union?• Participation• Representation• Governance

What is this Union aiming to achieve?• Vision• Objectives and Yearly Plans• Member Focus

Is there quality stewardship?• Well Managed• Effective Performance• Political Management

Are there quality outcomes?• Impact• Reputation• Services

What underpins this quality?• Communication• Finance• Partnerships

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Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative

Project ChampionsMatt East, President 2009-10Lisa Pool, Communications Officer 2009-10

Project SponsorPhil Mackay, General Manager

Project ManagerGill Thompson, Deputy General Manager - Representation

SUEI Steering Group membersPhil Mackay, General ManagerGill Thompson, Deputy General Manager – RepresentationToby Cunningham, Deputy General Manager – Student ExperienceJo Harbrow, Student Activities ManagerSarah Boston, Membership Services Manager Guy Stepney, Communications CoordinatorLinda Collett, Membership Services Administrator – ChelmsfordMatt East, President 2009-10Lisa Pool, Communications Officer 2009-10Emma McLendon, Academic Affairs Officer 2009-10Kelly Sweeney, Student Experience Officer (Cambridge) 2009-10Maiken Andreasen, Student Experience Officer (Essex) 2009-10-09

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What is ‘Governance’?

Governance describes the process and controls by which the Union is run: the Union must be accountable to its members and the governance process puts in place safeguards to ensure that this is so.

As mentioned above, the Students’ Union is run by five Sabbatical Officers. The officers must ensure that they direct the Union in the way that the student body wants: your role as students is to elect the officers that you believe can achieve this, and then to hold the officers accountable for their actions. As Student Reps, you are also responsible for ensuring that the officers are aware of any issues that the students that you represent may have.

Why does Democracy matter to the Union?

Like any Union, Students’ Unions exist to be the collective voice of their members. The Union can only have a valid mandate to do this if its members are involved in its decision making processes. This is why all Union officers must be elected by the membership (that is, by Anglia Ruskin students) and why changes to the Union’s Constitution can only be made with the authority of the Union Council.

Elections

The SU holds elections in March (for sabbs and part time officers) and October (for any posts that were not filled in March). It is important that students vote in the elections so that when the officers talk to the University on your behalf, they have the credibility that goes with being supported by their membership. Please vote in SU elections and we will also ask for your help in publicising the elections to the students you represent.

The Constitution

The Students’ Union Constitution sets out how the Union operates. Everything that the Union does must be in accordance with the Constitution. This is a working document that is regularly updated to meet changing circumstances. Any changes to the Constitution must be agreed by the Sabbatical Officers and Union Council.

Union Council

Union Council is the governing committee of the Union. It debates and agrees Union Policy and mandates officers accordingly; agrees changes to

Union Governance and Democracy

the Constitution and receives reports from other Union Committees including Student Assembly. The Chair of Union Council is an elected position, with the election being held alongside that of the Sabbatical Officers each March. As well as the Chair, members of the Union Council include the Sabbatical Officers and 3 representatives from each Student Assembly. As a member of the Union, you can attend; however, you do not have automatic speaking rights: if you wish to speak you must request this at the beginning of the meeting. There are two meetings of Union Council each semester.

Student Assembly

These meetings are a sub committee of Union Council and debate and agree Union policy relating to the site on which they are held. They hold officers accountable, and mandate them regarding site issues. The sorts of issues raised here include campaigns, clubs and societies and related polices, as they pertain to the site. Members are expected to provide a report, updating each other on their activities and achievements. There are two places for Student Reps from each faculty at Student Assembly.

How does the Union find out what students think?

As well as talking to Student Reps, the Union may use a range of other methods to establish student opinion. Sabbs regularly Go Out And Talk (they call it ‘GOATing’) to students on each campus. We may also use referendums or other types of opinion poll to find out what our membership thinks about specific issues. For example at the beginning of the year, the Union runs a Freshers’ Opinion Poll to identify what students want the Union’s key priorities to be during the coming academic year. The results of this year’s poll are listed under Campaigns on the next page.

CampaignsThroughout the academic year, the Students’ Union works on a number of campaigns: for instance in 2008, they campaigned against the changes to the University scholarship scheme. As well as campaigning on local issues, Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union is affiliated to the National Union of Students (NUS, more information about NUS is given below) and so the sabbs also get involved at a national level. Last year, the SU won a national award (Campaign of the Year) for the Broke and Broken (Student Funding) campaign, which included a day of action in Cambridge: this was as part of the NUS’s national Broke and Broken campaign. This year, the sabbs are involved in the NUS’s Town Takeover campaign, which is a continuation of Broke and Broken and we will be sending out information about this as the year goes on.

Following this year’s Opinion Poll the Union will be campaigning locally on (highest priority first):

E-submission: being able to submit assignments electronically, rather than by hand at an i-centre

Fairer HE Funding (including for NHS students)

Automatic return of outstanding money on students’ Aspire Cards at the end of each academic year

University catering outlets to have longer opening hours and to serve healthier food and to provider services at Peterborough

Provision of recycling facilities on all four core campuses and at all halls of residence

The full results are on the Students’ Union Website.

The National Union of Students (NUS) is a confederation of local student representative organisations in Universities and Colleges throughout the UK. To be a member of NUS, Students’ Unions pay an affiliation fee.NUS’s core values are:

Equality – NUS believe that there should be equality of opportunity for everyone to participate fully.

Democracy – NUS feel that their policies and priorities must be student-led and Students’ Union-focused through building open, transparent and accessible democratic structures.

Collectivism - Students and Students’

Unions are more effective when they organise together locally, nationally and internationally: unity is strength.

Their strategic objectives are:

To secure a fairer funding system for students, ensuring further and higher education is accessible to all those who have the aspiration and capability.

To support, facilitate and deliver methods by which students can shape all areas of their learning experience.

To ensure the long-term legitimacy, health and sustainability of Students’ Unions.

To be a leading exemplar of equality and diversity, and to develop strategies to promote and enhance equality and diversity within education and Students’ Unions

To ensure NUS is well governed, establishing appropriate physical, financial, intellectual and people resources to better deliver its aims.

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The first question most Reps ask is ‘what exactly do I have to do?’ Fundamentally, the role involves acting as the voice of the students in your cohort to both the University and the Students’ Union, telling both of us what is worrying you (and your peers) and what is going well. You must also feed back to your cohort the outcome of any discussions or meetings you may have with either the University or the SU.

The list below is not everything you may find yourself involved in, but is an outline of the main tasks you are likely to undertake. Identifying student issues and needs by consulting, involving and reporting back to students.

Attending, participating in and raising student issues at meetings, whether or not you agree with the views expressed.

Seeking to draw attention to and minimise the impact of change on students and ensuring the student perspective is considered in all decisions.

Liaising with other Student Reps and the Students’ Union on issues affecting your pathway or programme.

Campaigning effectively on relevant issues.

Attending prep, training and feedback sessions.

Being aware of University regulations and trends.

Promoting Equal Opportunities.

What does the Students’ Union offer?

The Students’ Union is responsible for training and supporting you in this role. Your first point of contact is your Student Rep Co-ordinator (SRC) and her details are in your Student Rep Handbook. Please make use of your SRC: she is there to help you. Even if she cannot give you an answer immediately, she will be able to find out or point you in the right direction.

As well as the SRC, the SU also offers:

Facebook group: we have set up a Facebook group, Anglia Ruskin University Student Reps.

The SU Website: lots of information about the SU. It has a representation section, where the SRCs post useful information.

Forums: the SU holds regular forums

on each campus which give you a chance to get together with Reps from your own and other faculties to discuss issues. Open door policy: come and see your SRC without an appointment. Details of our working hours are in your Handbook. If you cannot get in to see us, or if we are not there, we try to respond to emails quickly.

The APEX: the SU newspaper. The SRCs regularly write for the Apex and it covers other issues of interest to students and that may affect your activities as a Rep. You are also welcome to write for the Apex.

Certificates: The SU will present you (at an awards lunch in May) with certificates for the work you have done during the academic year.

Student Representative Society: if 15 or more of you are interested in establishing a Student Rep Society the SU will support you and provide some funding. You can use this to provide mutual support or for socialising.

Advice Service: The SU Advice Service is confidential and Advisers are enormously experienced and very knowledgeable. See the separate handout for more information.

Website

The SU website is a useful tool for current Reps. It gives you access to information, news and meeting feedback. Here is a quick overview:

www.angliastudent.com > Get involved > Representation

The welcome page gives all students an insight into representation. It has the SRCs’ contact details on it, information about the Students’ Union Evaluation Initiative (SUEI) and equality and diversity matters. It also has a link for all current Reps.

www.angliastudent.com > Get Involved > Representation > Current Student Reps.

This part of the website is for you. It has information about the ‘hot topics’ in the Rep world, useful links to things like the handbook, dates and websites. It also has a link to the meetings and training pages.

www.angliastudent.com > Get Involved > Representation > Current Student Reps > TrainingThis gives an overview of what we cover in training and a list of training dates.

www.angliastudent.com > Get Involved > Representation > Current Student Reps > Meetings.

This section is dedicated to meetings. It gives an

overview of each meeting that you might attend. There are also links to a feedback archive from those meetings. We recommend you explore this page.

Problems and Issues

You may find a few problems along the way: these are the common ones, with suggestions for overcoming them:

Misunderstandings: ensure you and your fellow student(s) are talking about the same thing – it is very easy to assume that people have the same level of knowledge as you do and it is not necessarily so. Don’t be afraid to check – you won’t look stupid, you are just making sure.

Nerves: speaking in meetings or talking to large groups of your fellow students can be intimidating. Ensure you are fully prepared: know what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. It really helps you feel more confident.

Resolving issues: if you are unsure how to resolve an issue, we can help! Talk to your Student Rep Co-ordinator or one of the Student Advisers. Use the Student Services chart you were given in training.

Remember that your Student Rep Co-ordinator is there to help and support you – make use of her.

Promoting your role

To be a successful and active Rep, it is essential that the students that you represent know who you are and what you can do for them. There are a variety of ways that you can promote yourself and your role. The ideas below are just suggestions. If you can think of any others, or ways to make these more effective, please share them with us and your fellow Reps!

Post your contact details on your pathway notice board. Some Reps find it helps to have a regular time each week when they will be available to discuss Rep issues. If you do this, put details of your availability on the notice board too.

Hand out flyers with details of meetings and forums so that people know when and why you need to know what they think. Do this for after meeting feedback too.

Ask your lecturer for 5 minutes at the beginning or the end of a lecture to introduce yourself and your role or to ask students what issues they want you to raise on their behalf.

Talk to your fellow students individually about what your role entails and the sorts of issues it is appropriate for you to raise.

Draft an email to the students on your cohort introducing yourself and explaining your role and ask your programme administrator to circulate it on your behalf.

Set up an email address specifically for rep issues and publicise this to your fellow students

Equality & Diversity

Anglia Ruskin has a diverse population both of students and staff. Members of the Anglia Ruskin community come from a range of ethnic and national backgrounds and will have differing cultures, language, religions, sexuality, political or other beliefs which may affect their learning or activities. They may have physical, sensory or learning disabilities or mental health issues, which may not be immediately obvious to the casual observer. Additionally, some students who have declared a disability or other special need or circumstance to the University (for example family problems that are affecting their learning and wider life) may not wish this information to be shared with others.

All students at Anglia Ruskin are entitled to the same opportunities when undertaking their pathways: they should have the same access to facilities and support wherever they are in the University. Remember discrimination can include the University or its constituent parts being organised in such a way that not all students have a parity of opportunity.

As a Rep, you need to spend some time thinking about these issues: the University has a Dignity at Work and Study policy included within the Rules, Regulations and Procedures for Students that you were given when you registered as a student. The Students’ Union also produces a Dignity at Study leaflet and you will be given a copy of this during training. If you are not, please collect one from the SU office on your campus.

Part of your role is to help your University to ensure that all students in your cohort have an equal opportunity to succeed. There are a number of ways you can contribute to this:

Whenever a new development is proposed, think carefully about the impact on the students on your pathway: ask your group if the proposal is inclusive or is likely to cause them problems

If you become aware of problems in existing provision that exclude groups or individuals tell your Programme Leader or the Students’ Union

If you have any doubts, contact your SRC or the SU Advice Service for guidance.

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A big issue for conscientious Reps is how to manage your studies, your role as a Representative and have a life outside University! It can be done. The trick is to prioritise what you have to do and plan how you are going to achieve the essential tasks.What problems might you face?

Lack of clear objectives and deadlines Disorganisation Poor communication Saying yes – even (especially) when you should say no! Never finishing tasks Never starting tasks The unforeseen crisis

You need to identify which of the above is your major problem. Spend a week listing everything you do and how long it takes. Include non work

Problems you might facerelated things, like stopping for a cup to tea, reading a novel, chatting with friends. At the end of the week, look through it and analyse where you lost time or did something that stopped you achieving your goals – even if that something was useful in its own right.

Then make a list of all the things you have agreed to do. Draw up a table like the one shown below and put all your outstanding tasks under one of the headings.

Look at the tasks under Urgent. Think about why they are there (look at the list for ideas). Promise yourself that you will work at overcoming your major problem and keeping this box empty.

You will need to update this list on a regular basis.

Think about the time of day when you work best – plan your day so you undertake the most difficult tasks or the ones you want to do least when you are at your peak.

First thing every day, write a To Do list – use your list of tasks to identify the things you want to achieve that day. Remember to keep it manageable – don’t include every single thing on your overall list.

Be realistic – some days your To Do list may only be one thing, some days it may be ten. When

making your list, remember to allow yourself enough time to be interrupted, for things to go wrong, for travelling (most people forget this one) and to eat. Try not to schedule more than 50% of your available time. Include a finishing time and stick to it – then you won’t feel the work is taking over your life.

If you need to contact someone to complete one of your tasks, think about when (and if) they will be available. Don’t waste time trying to contact someone if you know they are unlikely to be there – schedule that task for another day.

How to Improve

Break up large tasks or ones that you find daunting into smaller pieces. Think about each small piece as a different task and congratulate yourself whenever you complete one.

Don’t always aim to complete the quick and easy tasks before you tackle the big ones – plan a mixture of both.

Give yourself a reward whenever you complete a task – promise yourself a piece of chocolate, a chapter of your book, a cup of tea – whatever is your thing!

If everything goes wrong today and you don’t achieve everything on your list, that’s life – it doesn’t mean you are a failure. Tomorrow is another day isn’t just a cliché – it’s true.

If you are the type of person who looks for excuses to stop working and do something else, timetable your day and ask your friends not to interrupt you during your scheduled work times. Don’t constantly check your email (turn off the mail alert). Try to find a quiet place to work where there are no distractions – away from windows, the radio or your phone.

As far as possible complete one task before moving on to the next. If you cannot complete the task because of circumstances you cannot control, don’t keep revisiting it and worrying. Put it to one side, schedule it in for later and move on to the next task.

Learn to say no! It is very rare that you will be the only person who can do a task. You will have more credibility if you say no than if you agree to do something and then cannot deliver.

Above all, remember you should enjoy your time at University. Being a Rep is meant to enhance that experience, not be an added burden. Good time management can help that happen.

Think about all the things that you need to do. This could be anything from assignments to the washing up! Consider their importance and place them in the appropriate boxes. Then, using what you have written as a basis, write a ‘to do list’ for tomorrow. Opposite are examples of how you can write a priorty and to do list.

Priority Setting

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You will be representing different groups of students (and therefore different ranges of views) depending on the type of meeting you are going to. Before we start talking about how you do this, it will be useful to know about the meetings themselves.

As a Rep, you are a full member of the meetings you attend and you have voting rights. At all meetings that Reps attend, one of the SRCs will have Designated Observer status (this means we can speak, but not vote) and will usually go with you to the meetings. Unfortunately we cannot attend all Programme Committees: there are just too many. We normally prioritise those where we know there are problems or where a Rep or member of staff has specifically asked us to attend. We then attend the others on rotation. Sabbatical officers will also be at Faculty Boards and Faculty Learning & Teaching Committees, the Student Experience Committee and the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Committees.

You will be given a briefing session before all meetings (except Programme Committees). This will usually be organised by the SRC. They will go

through items on the agenda that are likely to have implications for students and talk you through any issues that you may wish to raise.

What meetings do Reps attend?

There are places for Reps on the following committees:Programme CommitteeFaculty Learning & Teaching Committee Faculty BoardLearning, Teaching and Assessment Committee and Student Experience Committee

These are described in greater detail in your Student Rep Handbook (from p 7), and the University’s meeting structure is also shown there. Also in your Handbook are the dates for all of the above meetings, except Programme Committees. You can get the dates for Programme Committees from your Programme Leader or administrator. If you have problems, contact your SRC.

You are not expected to attend all the meetings to which you may be invited.

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The Agenda is the framework for the meeting: it is a list of what will be discussed. It should be sent to you about a week before the meeting. Papers (often referred to as ‘schedules’) to support the items on the agenda will accompany it. All agendas have the same basic layout.

Apologies

These are from people who are unable to attend the meeting. If you cannot attend a meeting and you have already received the paperwork, you must tell the meeting secretary: this will usually be the person who sent you the Agenda. Also contact your Student Representative Co-ordinator (SRC): she will try to find a substitute for you. If you have not already received the paperwork tell your SRC as soon as you know you cannot go. The Students’ Union has worked hard to get representatives on University Committees and we think it is essential for the agreed number of Representatives to attend. Representatives are the voice of the students. If Reps do not go, the voice of the student will not be heard.

Minutes of the last meeting

What is discussed and agreed at a meeting is recorded in its minutes. After a meeting, the minutes are written up and circulated to all those who attended. The University recommends that minutes are circulated within 10 working days of the meeting. If you do not receive the minutes of a meeting you have attended, please tell your SRC. Read the minutes as soon as you get them and check that everything you said is recorded accurately. If there are any inaccuracies, these must be corrected so please tell your SRC if you spot anything that is not correct.

At the next meeting, the minutes are agreed as a correct record. You should read the minutes of the last meeting, even if you did not attend it. It will give you an idea of the sorts of issues that are likely to be discussed. A short report on the meeting should be available from your SRC, which will highlight any items of particular interest to Reps, or the SU.

Agendas and PaperworkMatters arising

This allows the Chair of the meeting to check that any action agreed at the last meeting has been carried out. If you agree at a meeting to take any action, tell the Meeting Secretary what you have done as soon as you have done it.

Other Agenda items

The other Agenda items will vary according to the type of meeting. These can vary from reports from other meetings, which are just for information, to items that need detailed discussion leading to agreed action.

The Students’ Union has asked that Student Matters (or a similar phrase) is a regular item on agendas for meetings that Reps attend. If you attend a meeting where this is not the case, please tell your SRC.

Any other business

This will always be the last major item on an agenda. It is for things that have arisen since the agenda was distributed. The Clerk to the meeting may ask to be notified of Any Other Business (AOB) before the meeting. This will be stated on the letter accompanying the meeting paperwork. Alternatively, some Chairs prefer that matters for AOB are declared at the start of the meeting, while others are happy for them to be raised without prior notice.

If you have anything that you want to raise under AOB, it is good practice to briefly discuss it with the Chair before the meeting starts.

Task - Agenda items

During the training session, you will be asked to match up the parts of an agenda with their definitions, using posters on the wall. Afterwards you may find it helpful to draw lines between the Agenda item and its definition on the next page.

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Before you go to a meeting as a Rep, you need to gather as wide a range of opinions as you can: remember you are there to represent the views of the whole group whether or not you agree with them.

If a student raises an issue that affects only them, you must refer them to an appropriate source of advice: if in doubt you can use the Guide to Student Support that you were given earlier. If you are still not sure, send the student to the SU Advice Service.

What do I need to do?

You will be representing different groups of students (and therefore different ranges of views) depending on the type of meeting you are going to. A fuller description of each meeting is in the Meetings section of this booklet.

Programme Commi ees

Programmes are groups of similar courses. Reps from all the pathways (courses) in the Programme will be invited and you will attend to represent your cohort. Members of staff from your Programme and from some University support services also attend. You will be expected to give a brief report on any issues (good and bad) that are affecting your group. For example, you might mention module concerns; timetabling or rooming problems or library issues

Finding out what the other people in your cohort think should be fairly straightforward: you are a member of the group and will be seeing them and chatting to them on a regular basis. When you know you will be attending a meeting, you may need to ask more specific questions about an issue to ensure you are aware of the full variety of views – don’t assume you know what people think.

Faculty Learning & Teaching Commi ees and Faculty Boards

Here you are representing all the students in your Faculty. You will be supported by your SRC who will brief you before the meeting. You will be expected to comment on issues on the agenda, using your experiences and that of your cohort.

Before going to a meeting, it would be helpful to spend a short time finding out the views of other students in your Faculty. There are several ways you can do this. You can also use the Anglia Ruskin University Student Reps Facebook group to contact other Student Reps from your Faculty.

How do you gather student opinion?Student Experience and Learning, Teaching and Assessment Committees

Both these meetings will have items referred to them from other University meetings, where Reps will already have expressed student opinion. You are not expected to spend a lot of time surveying other students’ views. Instead, you are expected to comment from your own experience and that of your peers. As part of the pre meeting briefing, the SRC or one of the SU Officers will have told you of any issues that we are aware of. Again, you may find it useful to check the Facebook group to see what is happening in other areas of the University.

How do I do it?

It really is up to you. The way you do it will depend on who you need to canvass. You can do it face to face, or in an online forum, via WebCT, Facebook or any other method you choose, depending on the meeting you are going to.

For example, if you are campus based and going to a Programme Committee or a Faculty based meeting, you can ask one of your lecturers for time at the beginning or end of a lecture to talk to your fellow students. Alternatively, you can use your WebCT discussion facility.

If you are an online student or distance learner and your course has an online forum, you can ask for the views of other students and post details of meetings, or as above, you can use WebCT.

If you talk nicely to your Programme Administrator, they may be willing to send out an email on your behalf to all the students in your cohort. If you do this, remember to include your email address so that they can reply directly to you and not via the administrator.

Some Reps set regular times when they will be available to discuss issues. They let their fellow students know, so when issues arise, students know how to contact their Rep. (This also allows the Rep to control when and where they wear their ‘Rep hat’, to stop interruptions in the library, over lunch, in the bar…).

You can set up a Facebook group and invite everyone on your course to join.

If you are feeling very keen, and want more detailed information about what your peers think about an issue you can set up free surveys on www.surveymonkey.com and ask your fellow students to complete them.

If you are going to Student Experience Commi ee or the University’s (as opposed to your Faculty’s) Learning & Teaching Commi ee, your SRC will have asked other Student Reps (via the Rep mailing list or the Student Rep Facebook group (Anglia Ruskin University Student Reps) for their cohorts’ views on the issues raised and will include any responses in the briefing notes.

Other ways of identifying student opinion

Student Experience Survey (SES)/Student Barometer

Each year the University runs a survey of its students. The survey covers what students think about their course (in general, not course by course) and the University. Last year the Student Experience Survey was replaced by the Student Barometer. Your University takes the results of this survey very seriously and it is useful for Reps to use to back up what their peers are telling them. Ask your SRC or the Academic Affairs Officer for

more informa on.

National Student Survey (NSS)

The NSS is a survey of all final year undergraduate students in the UK. It is used by the press to draw up their league tables and by the University to iden fy problem areas. It correlates well with the issues iden fied in the internal survey and again, Reps can use it to back up what their fellow students are saying. Summary results of the NSS are available on www.unistats.com but the SU can drill down to get more detailed informa on. Again, talk to your SRC or Academic Affairs Officer if you want more informa on. See below for an example of how we display the NSS results.

Help, please

We are always looking for new and be er ways to find out what students think, so please if you come up with any other ways of contac ng your fellow students, please let us know and share it with the other Reps on Facebook.

Faculty Department Programme The teaching on

my course 1. Staff are good at

explaining things.

2. Staff have madethe subject interesting.

3. Staff are enthusiastic about

what they are teaching.

4. The course is intellectuallystimulating.

Assessment and feedback

5. The criteria usedin marking have

been clear in advance.

6. Assessment arrangements and marking have been

fair.

7. Feedback on my work has been

prompt.

8. I have received detailed comments

on my work.

9. Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand.

Academic support

10. I have received sufficient advice and

support with my studies.

11. I have been ableto contact staff when

I needed to.

12. Good advice wasavailable when I needed to make study choices.

Organisation and management

13. The timetable works efficiently as far as my activities

are concerned.

14. Any changes in the course or

teaching have been communicated

effectively.

15. The course is well organised and is

running smoothly.Learning resources

16. The library resources and

services are good enough for my

needs.

17. I have been ableto access general IT

resources when I needed to.

18. I have been ableto access specialisedequipment, facilities

or rooms when I needed to.

Personaldevelopment

19. The course has helped me to

present myself with confidence.

20. My communication skills

have improved.

21. As a result of thecourse, I feel

confident in tackling unfamiliar problems.

OverallSatisfaction

HEI Average (England) 4.1 4 3.9 4.1 4.1 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.9 3.8 4.1 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.7 4.1 4.1 4.2 4 4.1 4 4.1 4 4

Anglia Ruskin University 2009 3.9 3.9 3.8 4 3.9 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.3 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.3 3.5 3.2 3.2 4 3.9 4 3.9 4 3.9 4 3.9 3.7

Anglia Ruskin University 2008 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.8 3.4 3.7 3.6 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.1 3.5 2.9 3 3.9 3.9 4 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.8 3.5

AIBS AIBS Accounting and Finance 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.4 4 3.6 3.2 3.1 3 3.9 3.7 4 3.9 3.6 3.9 3.4 3.6 4 3.8 4.2 3.9 3.7 3.5 3.9 3.8 3.6

Business Management 3.9 4 3.9 3.9 3.8 3.7 4 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.3 3.8 3.8 4 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.8 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.1 4

International Business 3.5 3.8 3.4 3.6 3.4 3.3 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.9 3 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.4

Marketing 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.6 3.3 2.8 3.4 2.9 2.5 2.9 2.5 3.1 2.7 3.5 3 2.5 2.8 2.2 2.5 4 4.3 4 3.8 3.6 3.3 3.9 3.5 3

ALSS Anglia Law School Law (Academic) 4.1 4 4.1 4 4.2 3.4 3.8 3.7 3.4 3.3 2.9 3.7 3.8 4 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.4 4.1 4.1 4.2 4 4.1 4 4.2 4.1 3.8

Art & Design Fine Art 4.3 4.1 4 4.4 4.6 4 4.1 4.1 3.6 4.2 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.6 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.1 4 4.5 4.1 3.4 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.6

Film and Television Production 4.1 3.9 4.2 4.4 3.9 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.6 3 3.9 3.9 4.3 3.6 3.2 3.8 3.1 2.8 4.2 3.9 4.7 4.2 4 3.8 4 4.1 3.7

Graphic Design 4 4.3 3.9 4 3.6 4 4.1 4 3.6 4.2 3.9 3.9 3.8 4.2 3.8 3.5 3.3 3.5 3.6 4 4.2 3.9 4 4.1 3.9 4.4 4 3.7

Illustration 4.6 4.4 4.8 4.9 4.4 4 3.8 3.8 4 4.1 4.2 4 4.1 4 4.1 3.9 4 3.8 4 4 4.2 3.9 3.8 4.1 4 4.2 4.1 4.2

Professional Photography 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.8 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.8 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.5 3.2 3.6 3.6 2.6 3.2 2.4 2 4.1 4.2 4.3 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.5 2.8

English, Communication, Film & Media

Communication 4.4 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.5 3.7 3.6 3.7 3.7 4.1 3.4 3.9 4 4.3 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.7 4.2 4 4.1 4.5 4.1 4.1 4.2 3.9 4

English 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.3 3.9 4.1 3.8 3.4 4.2 3.8 4.1 4 4.2 4 3.5 3.8 3.2 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.9 4 4 4.3 3.9 4.1

Film 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 4 3.8 3.9 3.6 3.8 4 3.7 4 3.8 4.3 4 3.8 4 3.6 3.8 4.1 4.1 4 4.1 3.8 3.6 4 3.7 3.6

Media 3.8 3.9 3.4 4.1 3.6 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.6 3.6 4 3.3 3.2 3.8 3.1 2.8 3.8 3.6 4 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.8 3.5 3

Writing 4.1 4.1 4 4.4 3.8 3.7 4.3 3.9 3.6 3.6 3 4 4.1 4.1 3.9 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.8 4 3.6 3.7 4 3.9 4 4 3.8

Humanities and Social Sciences

Criminology 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.9 4.1 3.5 4 3.5 3 3.7 3 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.1 3.8 3.9 4 3.9 4.1 4 3.8

History 4.2 4 3.8 4.5 4.4 3.8 4.1 3.8 3.2 4.2 3.8 3.9 3.6 4.2 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.6 3.8 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.7 4 4.1 4 4 3.9

Public Services 3.7 4 3.5 3.7 3.5 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.9 3.9 4 3.9 3.6 3.8 3.4 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.7 4.1 4.2 4.3 3.9 3.8

Languages & Intercultural Communication

English 4 4.2 3.9 4 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.9 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.9 3.9 4.1 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.9 4 3.8 3.8 4 4.1 4.1 3.9 4

Music & Performing Arts Creative Music 4.3 4.1 4.1 4.7 4.4 4 4.1 4 3.6 4.2 3.8 4 4 4.1 4 3.5 3.4 3.6 3.5 4.1 4.1 4.3 4 4 3.8 4.2 4.1 4

Drama 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.4 3.8 3.7 4.2 3.6 3.5 4.1 3.2 4.2 4.1 4.4 4 3.8 3.4 3.8 4 4 4 4.2 3.9 4 4.1 4 3.9 4

EDU Educational Studies Early Childhood Studies 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.9 3.7 3.5 3.7 3.6 3 3.9 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.2 2.7 3.1 2.4 2.6 4.2 3.9 4.3 4.3 4 3.9 4.3 3.9 3.7

Early Years Childcare 4.1 4.2 3.9 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.5 4.4 3.9 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.2 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.9 4.3 4.6 4.2 4 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.2

Education Studies 3.3 3.2 3.5 3.2 3.3 2.9 3 2.7 2.9 3.1 2.9 2.8 2.8 3 2.6 2.1 2.3 2.2 1.8 4 4 4 3.7 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.4 2.5

Learning Technology 4 3.8 3.6 4.4 4.3 4 4.1 4.1 4.1 4 3.6 3.8 3.8 4 3.7 3.5 3.2 3.4 3.8 3.8 3.8 4 2.9 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.1

Initial Professional Studies Early Primary Education 3 2.8 3 3.3 3.1 2.7 2.7 3.2 2.1 3.2 2.4 2.7 2.3 3.1 2.7 2.8 3.6 2.5 2.3 3.5 3.2 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.7 3.5 2.5

Learning Support 3.2 2.8 3.1 3.7 3.2 3 2.9 3.1 2.6 3.7 2.8 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.5 1.9 2.6 1.7 1.4 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.4 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.6 2.2

Primary Education 3.8 3.5 3.6 4.1 3.8 3.3 3.3 3.6 2.9 3.6 3.2 3.6 3.3 3.8 3.6 3 3.5 2.9 2.6 4.1 4 4.3 3.9 4 3.9 4.1 3.9 3.4

Primary Teacher Training 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.2 3 2.6 2.2 2.6 2.6 3.2 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.2 1.7 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.5 3.6 3.8 3.2 2.2

FSHC Allied Health Operating Department Practice 3.9 3.9 3.9 4 3.8 3.4 3.6 3.6 3 3.4 3.4 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.9 2.7 3.1 2.3 2.7 3.9 4 4 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.2

Acute Care Registered Nurse (Adult) 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.7 3.7 3.3 3.4 3.1 3.4 3.5 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.4 3.4 2.6 2.8 2.5 2.4 4.1 4.2 4.1 4 4 3.9 4.1 3.9 3.3

HSHS Registered Nurse Diploma (Adult)

3.9 4 3.9 3.9 3.7 3.4 3.7 3 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.2 3.3 3 3.2 2.4 2.6 2 2.5 4.2 4.5 4.3 4 4.2 4.1 4.2 4.2 3.7

Child & Family Health Pre Registration Midwifery 4.3 4.3 4.1 4.4 4.3 3.9 4.4 4.3 3.2 3.9 3.9 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.3 3.9 3.9 4.2 3.7 3.8 3.3 4.2 4.1 4.4 4.2 4.5 4.4 4.3

Mental Health and Learning Disabilities

Regis 4.3 4.3 4.3 4 4.5 3.9 4 4.1 3.6 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.2 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.6 4.2 4.4 4.3 4 4.5 4.4 4.6 4.5 4.2

Primary & Intermediate Car

Registered Nurse 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.9 4.2 3.2 3.1 3.3 3 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.6 2.8 3.2 2.6 2.7 4.1 4.1 4.3 4 3.9 3.8 4.1 3.9 3.5

Social Work & Social Policy Social Work 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.8 4 3.5 3.7 3.8 3.2 3.5 3.2 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.5 3.1 3.2 3 3.1 4 4 4.1 3.9 4 4 4.1 3.9 3.7

S&T Built Environment Architectural Technology 3.9 3.8 3.6 4.1 4 3.8 3.8 4 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 2.8 3 3.1 2.2 4.3 4.5 4.5 4.1 4.1 4 4.2 4.2 3.5

Building Surveying 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.8 4.2 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.7 3.9 3.7 3.5 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.1 3.6 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.9

Civil Engineering 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.7 3.7 3.3 4 3.7 2.8 3.1 2.8 3.5 3.5 3.8 3.2 3.5 3.9 3.4 3.3 4.3 4.6 4.3 4 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7

Construction Management 4.1 4.2 4.1 4.1 3.9 3.6 3.6 3.9 3.6 3.7 3.4 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.5 3.6 3.2 3.7 4 3.9 4.3 3.7 4 4.1 4 3.9 3.9

Quantity Surveying 3.4 3.5 3.1 3.6 3.5 3.3 3.8 3.7 3.1 3.1 2.8 3.4 3.3 3.8 3.2 3.3 3.9 2.8 3.3 4 4 4.2 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.5 3.7 3.5

Computing & Technology Audio and Music Technology 3.9 3.9 3.8 4.1 3.8 3.7 3.9 4.2 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.9 3.4 3.2 4.3 4.5 4.4 4.1 3.7 3.5 3.9 3.6 3.7

Business Information Systems/Technology

3.4 3.8 3.2 3.1 3.7 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.2 3.9 3.8 4.4 3.6 2.9 3.5 2.7 2.6 4.2 4.5 4.3 3.8 3.9 4 3.9 3.7 3.6

Computer Aided Visualisation 3 2.9 3.1 3.2 2.9 3.2 3.2 2.9 3.2 3.4 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.1 3.8 4.1 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.5 2.7

Computer Science 3.6 3.7 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.2 3.8 3.5 2.7 3.1 2.7 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.2 3.2 3.5 3 3.1 4.1 4.3 4.2 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.8 3.5 3.5

Multimedia Computing 3.3 3.5 3.5 3 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.8 3.5 3.2 3.1 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 3.9 4.4 3.8 3.5 3.3 3.5 3.4 3.1 3.3

Life Sciences Biomedical Science 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.5 4.6 3.8 4 4.2 3.5 4.1 3.5 4.3 4.1 4.5 4.3 4.2 4 4.2 4.3 3.8 3.4 3.8 4.4 4.4 4.2 4.6 4.3 4.2

Forensic Science 4.4 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.5 3.6 3.8 4.4 3.2 3.1 3.5 4.3 4.1 4.5 4.4 3.7 4.1 3.2 3.6 3.6 3.9 3.1 3.8 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.4

Zoology 4.2 4 4.1 4.6 4.3 3.6 3.9 3.8 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.9 3.9 4.1 3.6 3.9 4.1 3.5 4 3.9 3.5 3.7 4.3 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.9

Optometry and Ophthalmic Dispensing

Ophthalmic Dispensing 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.1 3.6 4 4.1 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.9 3.9 4.1 3.7 4 4.2 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.5 4.1 4 4 4.1 4.2

Optometry 4.4 4.4 4.2 4.4 4.5 3.9 4 4.2 3.7 3.5 3.9 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.3 4.2 4.1 4 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.3 4.4

Psychology Psychology 4.1 4.2 4 4.1 4.3 3.7 4.1 4 3.5 3.3 3.5 4 4.2 4 3.8 3.8 4 3.6 3.7 4.1 4.1 4 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.1 4.1

Page 1 of 1

Most of the mee ngs that you a end as a Rep will be formal mee ngs with agendas and minutes. This type of mee ng also has rules of behaviour that must be followed.

Behaviour at Meetings

You need to remember the following rules and ps:

Turn your mobile phone off.

When you arrive at a mee ng, sit in a posi on where you can easily catch the Chair’s a en on.

If you want to speak, a ract the Chair’s a en on by catching their eye, holding up your hand, or if necessary, dancing on the table. Your Designated Observer will help you with this (par cularly the dancing!) A good Chair will be constantly scanning the room, looking for people who wish to speak.

Address your comments to the Chair, whilst speaking loudly enough that everyone can hear you.

Listen to what other people are saying and respond appropriately. If you want to disagree with someone, it is always a good idea to suggest their ini al point was good, but … It takes the heat out and makes it more difficult to dismiss your point out of hand. Smiling at someone while you are ac vely disagreeing with them is always good!

Be asser ve not aggressive when pu ng your point: it can be a fine line when you feel passionately about something. Remember, if you lose your temper, you also lose your credibility. If someone else loses their temper with you, don’t

etiqu

ette

18

Behaviour at Mee ngsreact, stay calm: it puts them in the wrong.

Don’t speak while other people are speaking, or interrupt them.

Although you may need to ask your Designated Observer or sabba cal officer for an opinion or other advice it is not acceptable to hold a completely separate conversa on!

DO NOT send emails, play games or write le ers.

Some mee ngs are held over a lunch break: usually, the Chair will invite members to eat their lunch during the mee ng. You must not eat your lunch at a mee ng unless you have explicitly been invited to do so.

At the end of a mee ng, say thank you to the Chair.

After the meeting

If you have any concerns a er the mee ng, discuss them with the member of SU staff who went with you. Remember, your SRC is always there to support you! It would be useful to write a brief report to inform your fellow students of anything that arose at the mee ng that par cularly affects them. This can be put on the no ce board or emailed as appropriate. The SU’s Designated Observer will write a feedback paper for circula on within the SU. If you would like a copy of this to form the basis for your own report, please tell your SRC.

Feedback

You will be sent a feedback form which the SU will use to improve the briefings that we give you – please fill it in and tell us what you think.

Influencing SkillsYour role as a Rep may require you to persuade University staff to change the way they do things to benefit the students that you represent. Having good influencing skills will make your job easier.

How can I influence others?

Excellent influencing skills require a combina on of communica on, presenta on and asser veness techniques. It is about modifying your personal style and being aware of the effect you are having on other people.

Influencing is about being able to move things forward, without pushing, forcing, or telling others what to do. It is about having the confidence and willingness to use your skills to make things happen. Influencing people is also the ability to work dynamically, whether in a large group (for example in a mee ng) or one-to-one.

Remember that you will have an on going rela onship with the people you are trying to influence. It is therefore a bad idea to antagonise them. The ideal outcome is for all par es to feel they have got what they want – the ‘win–win’ situa on. With careful prepara on, this can be achieved. It is not always possible to achieve all your goals: there may be good reasons why what you are asking for is not possible but at least you will have found out what these are. However, if you put together a good argument, it may be that you can achieve progress and you will have flagged up your concerns.

People are far more willing to come halfway if they feel acknowledged, understood and appreciated. They may even end up doing or agreeing to something they wouldn’t previously because they feel good about making the choice.

Dos and Don’ts

Do Be prepared – if you are confident about what you are saying, then you have a be er chance of persuading others to join you.

Be pa ent, calm and asser ve.Remember that it doesn’t ma er what’s going on internally for you - if it isn’t perceived by the other person, then it doesn’t exist!

Don’t Try to exert your influence by being manipulative; you might even succeed in getting things done, but people do not like being manipulated and it will make your job harder next time.

Try to force people to do what you want. This can damage your arguments and will not succeed in winning you support. Nor will pushing and bullying. People will remember the experience and will not want to work with you again.

With regard to preparation, there are a couple of things you can do to help you.

Decide exactly what issues are critical and where you can give way gracefully: staff are more likely to agree with you if they perceive you as being reasonable and one way to do this is to accept their arguments for not letting you have the non essentials!

Think about the likely objections to your proposals and how you can counter them. Remember, if you are trying to persuade staff to change the way they do things, they will be feeling threatened because they will see it as criticism. Counter their objections calmly and logically.

During the mee ng

Be polite but firm – in other words – be assertive.

Do not use emotional language or images.

Listen carefully to what is being said to you and respond appropriately.

If a discussion is going nowhere, do not constantly repeat the same thing – vary your approach.

Above all – do not lose your temper whatever the provocation. If you do that you have put yourself at a disadvantage and it will be difficult to retrieve your credibility.

After you have reached agreement, summarise what has been established, to make sure you have both agreed to the same thing and decide who will write up the agreed points.

influ

enci

ng

19

Look at the animals on the wall. Think about how these animals might behave when they feel in midated. Now think about how you respond when you are under pressure or feeling in midated? Do you have any similari es with the animals on the wall?

Circle the animal you feel is most like you.

pres

sure

20

How do you react to pressure?When you are in a mee ng, par cularly if it is ge ng heated, think about these animals and try to iden fy how the par cipants are reac ng. It may help you deal with them.

How do you feed back?Whenever you go to a mee ng, you must feed back what happened there to the people you are represen ng. If you go to a mee ng with your Student Rep Co-ordinator (SRC), she will be taking notes for a feedback report to the Students’ Union. If you want to, you can use this report as the basis for your feedback. (The SRC should send you her feedback report a er the mee ng: if not, please ask. A synopsis will be put on the SU website, www.angliastudent.com.) When the SRC is not there, you will need to take notes for your own feedback. It is a good idea to take brief notes even when your SRC is with you as it is likely that you will need to edit her feedback to make it more useful for your group and you will find this easier if you have your own notes.

What information do I need to feed back?

You will find that not everything discussed at a mee ng needs to be fed back to your cohort. You will find that iden fying what needs to be reported gets easier with experience. It is always be er to give too much feedback than too li le. When deciding whether something is relevant, ask yourself ‘will this affect the students on my pathway and if so how?’ You may find it necessary to give a short explana on of an issue before describing what the mee ng decided: do not assume that everyone is as aware of the issues as you.

Before the meeting

Read some of the previous feedback notes for the mee ng you are going to, to get an idea of the types of issues you need to feed back and to see how the notes are structured.

Have a look through the mee ng agenda and read any suppor ng papers and previous minutes: you should be doing this anyway. This will give you some understanding of the issues that are likely to come up: if you understand what is going on, it is much easier to take notes.

At the meeting

When taking notes at the mee ng, do not try to record every detail of every conversa on that takes place, just note the main points. If you agree to do something a er the mee ng, make a note of it. It is be er to take too many notes and summarise them a erwards, than miss something significant.

After the meetingOnce the mee ng is over, write your feedback as

soon as you can. However good your note taking is, you will probably need to expand on what you have wri en to make things clearer to those who were not there and if you leave it too long, you will forget some of the detail. The SRCs try to write their feedback and email it to you within 24 hours: there may be mes, par cularly when they are a ending a lot of mee ngs, when they are not able to do this. You will need to decide whether you want to wait and use their report as a basis for your own or not.

How do I feed back to students?

You can use a variety of methods to feed back: you need to decide what the best way is for you and your group. In an ideal world, you will be able to discuss it with them (because then you will be able to find out what they think about what was agreed at the mee ng), but this may not be possible if your cohort is large. Other ways include:

Facebook: You can set up a Facebook group for your cohort and post your feedback there. Handouts: Create a flyer detailing the main points and circulate it to your cohort (you can use the photocopiers in the SU offices to do this). Email: Ask your programme administrator to email your feedback notes to the people on your pathway. At a lecture: Ask one of your lecturers to let you have five or ten minutes at the beginning or end of a lecture.

The dos and don’ts of feedback

Do Type the feedback so that everybody can read it. Check your feedback notes with your Student Representa ve Co-ordinator. Be honest. Be objec ve. Be diploma c – you don’t know who might read it! Avoid naming people unless they have been given an ac on point. Use ‘A student raised an issue with…’ rather than ‘Sarah Boston raised an issue with…’

Don’ts Write about personal ma ers, whether it is your personal issue or a grievance with an individual. Remember if it doesn’t affect the whole cohort or the majority, then people do not need to know. Use emo onal language or swear.

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Throughout your life you will be asked to fill in surveys and ques onnaires from a variety of different companies so that they can ensure they are offering you the best service possible. Universi es are no different and part of your role as a Student Representa ve is to let your University know what you like about the University and what can be improved on.

Why talk about Quality?

Educa onal establishments such as schools and universi es have always taken quality seriously but now students themselves have started to look at the quality of their courses and are star ng to become vocal about what they want from their ins tu ons.

There is much specula on as to why this has happened but primarily the view is that because the Government upped the student fee contribu on to around £3000 per year for an EU or home student, this has sparked a perceived consumer market whereby students feel that they are paying for a service rather than for the pursuit of knowledge. Because of this, there has been a drama c decline in students wan ng to study subjects which are not directly linked to a profession (such as Geography), and an increase in students making complaints about their courses to Students’ Unions, ins tu ons themselves and to the University Ombudsman - the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Educa on (OIA).

How does the Higher Education Sector monitor Quality Assurance and Enhancement?

SurveysNa onal Student Survey (NSS) – Independent survey conducted once a year. Open to all final year undergraduate students. There are 22 ques ons covering the quality of teaching, organisa on and management, support, resources and assessment and feedback. Results can be found at www.unistats.com

Interna onal Student Barometer – a survey run by iGraduate conducted at entry and exit point. Open to all Interna onal students. Ques ons include orienta on, friendliness, support and finance. (h p://www.i-graduate.org)

Postgraduate Student Survey – conducted by the Na onal Postgraduate Commi ee every 2 years or so. Open to all Postgraduate students, regardless whether they are taught or research. (www.npc.org.uk/)

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Quality Assurance and EnhancementOrganisa onsQuality Assurance Agency (QAA) - Funded by Universities UK and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Their role is to safeguard academic standards and quality throughout the higher education sector and conduct institutional audits of every institution on a 6 year cycle. As part of this process Students’ Unions are asked to produce a Student Written Submission which details the student opinion of studying at each university. The QAA’s findings are published and can be viewed at www.qaa.org.uk. The QAA also produces guidelines for ensuring quality and standards in the sector.

Higher Education Academy (HEA) – Primarily funded by affiliation fees from Universities. Their mission is to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in the HE Sector by researching and disseminating best practice, and informing and influencing policy. There are 27 subject centres which look at learning and teaching in specific subject fields and also a central unit which looks at institutional wide learning and teaching issues. (www.heacademy.ac.uk)

How does Anglia Ruskin monitor Quality Assurance and Enhancement?

Academic OfficeThis department is in charge of quality assurance and monitors this in four key ways:

Pathway, Programme and Ins tu onal Approval

This office is in charge of approving all new courses and partner institutions to ensure that the learning and teaching of all modules meet the minimum requirements.

Periodic ReviewThis is a process where taught pathways are reviewed regularly to monitor the quality of the curriculum and the delivery of them. The key focal points are: The University’s strategic vision for the future direction and delivery of all taught pathways. Maintenance of Anglia Ruskin University’s academic standards. The student experience and quality of educational support to students. The University’s commitment to continuous improvement in curriculum delivery and assessment. The identification of good practice in learning, teaching and assessment.

Annual MonitoringThe purpose of the annual monitoring process is to review the performance of a Programme in the previous academic year. External Examiner reports and module evaluation results are also reviewed as part of the process. The reports focus on 5 key areas: Whether Anglia Ruskin’s academic standards have been maintained. How well students achieved the intended learning outcomes. The quality of the student experience and educational support to students. Action to be taken to enhance and improve curriculum delivery. Identification of good practice in learning, teaching and assessment.There are three stages to the process: Stage 1: The Programme Annual Monitoring Report - The writing of the main Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) by the Programme Leader following consultation and discussion with relevant Pathway Leaders and the production of a SMART Action Plan. Stage 2: Faculty Overview Report –detailed consideration of all faculty AMRs: the information is collated to produce a report covering the Faculty, to identify any themes. Stage 3: Overall Summary Report – the final Overall Summary Report contains details of the five Faculty Overview Reports, and is submitted to the Senate.

Quality Enhancement Audits

Two QEAs are carried out each year. As well as monitoring the quality and standards of each of the main review areas, these audits also research best practice within our own institution and the HE sector. Findings are then taken to the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Committee and policy or guidelines are produced for all faculties to adopt. Previous reviews have included Module Guides, Student Handbooks and the Student Voice in the UK Collaborative Partnerships.

INSPIRE

INSPIRE is Anglia Ruskin’s Learning and Teaching department. Their primary function is to enhance teaching and learning at your University. INSPIRE carries out research projects, many funded by the HEA, and offers fellowships to staff to carry out short term projects. Recent projects include E-Learning, Equality in the Curriculum and Assessment Feedback.

Although they are not managed by INSPIRE each Faculty should have at least one Learning and Teaching Adviser and Learning Technologist who, as well as helping their Faculty to improve learning

and teaching, work closely with INSPIRE on many of their projects.

Satisfaction Surveys

The University uses several surveys to gauge the opinions of its students. These include: The Student Barometer (an externally managed survey which replaced the University’s Student Experience Survey in 2009) LibQual survey (library) Welcome Week surveyThe findings from these surveys are discussed at a range of mee ngs including Student Experience Commi ee, Learning, Teaching and Assessment Commi ee and Academic Standards, Quality and Regula ons Commi ee.

University Meetings

The Students’ Union has membership of Senate and several of its Standing Commi ees. Most of these also have student representa on. These Commi ees are a useful contribu on to quality enhancement as they give us the opportunity to engage in debate and conversa on on issues, which a survey isn’t capable of.

How do Reps feed into Quality Assurance and Enhancement?

Student Reps play an important role in the quality assurance and enhancement processes. They do this by: Contribu ng to mee ngs Filling in surveys such as the NSS and module evalua on A ending focus groups, forums and working groups Ge ng involved with Union Campaigns Being part of QAA Audit

Student Reps will come across a variety of issues in their role. Where some issues could affect just the individual, others might affect a number of people. It is part of a Student Rep’s role to signpost people to the right source of advice, or to take issues to a relevant commi ee.

There are lots of places where students are able

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Where do I take an issue?to seek advice. If you are in doubt on where to go, contact your Student Representa ve Co-ordinator for help.

Task - Where do I take issues?

If students asked you about the following issues, what would you do?

3 To have a mark annulled because the student thinks they have failed an assessment due to unexpected circumstances which are outside their control.